War in Middle East exposes Europe's energy 'vulnerability', EU chief says

War in Middle East exposes Europe's energy 'vulnerability', EU chief says EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday expressed that the conflict in the Middle East had exposed Europe's "vulnerability" and dependence on fossil fuels. "For fossil fuels, we are completely dependent on expensive and volatile imports. They are putting us at a structural disadvantage to other regions," she said at the opening of a nuclear energy summit in Paris.