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

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday said 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.

The EU chief also indicated that Europe turning away from nuclear energy was a "strategic mistake".