Energy crunch threatens to shatter European unity, warns IEA boss

The head of the International Energy Agency has warned European countries against a scramble for energy security this winter that threatens to shatter EU unity and trigger social unrest.

Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said he feared “a wild west scenario” if European countries moved to restrict their own trade or stop collaborating with neighbours amid mounting anxieties about fuel shortages this winter.

“The…