In 2021, the EU imported 88% of the gas it consumed, with Russia alone covering 43% of that. Four years later, that figure has collapsed by 76%. On paper, Europe won its bet: it weaned itself off Russian gas faster than almost anyone thought possible.

But that success raises a question few are willing to ask out loud: has Europe truly regained its energy sovereignty — or has it simply changed masters?

A victory with a price tag — and not just a financial one
Behind the reassuring curves lies a fundamentally different system: more flexible, but also more exposed to forces Europe no longer controls. LNG cargoes originally bound for Europe suddenly rerouted elsewhere. Crises thousands of kilometers away landing directly on European households’ and industries’ energy bills. A continent that has, almost unwittingly, become the buyer driving up prices for everyone.

A dilemma every country is solving its own way
Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Romania: each has made radically different choices in the face of the same constraint. Some have bet on infrastructure, others on domestic production, and some quietly continue to rely on Russian gas. This fragmentation raises a central question for the continent’s future — one our study addresses with concrete answers.

What the Arthur Hunt Strategy study reveals
Europe’s Gas Dilemma unpacks the mechanics of this transformation in depth, quantifies the real costs of the shift to LNG, assesses the feasibility of every lever available to phase out Russian gas, and provides a country-by-country strategic outlook.
Essential reading for anyone who needs to anticipate the next moves in Europe’s gas market — whether for industrial strategy, investment decisions, or energy policy.

Want to receive the full study? Contact-us.

A 31% increase in fertilizer price over the past year. A projected shortage of ammonia of 6.8 million tons by 2029. Half of the world’s food production depending on it. The fertilizer market, long overshadowed by bigger geopolitical stories, has become one of the decade’s defining strategic issues. Arthur Hunt Strategy releases a new study breaking down the structural tensions reshaping this market.

A market under chronic pressure

The picture is stark: fertilizer demand keeps rising, driven by global population growth (nearly 9.7 billion people expected by 2050), soil degradation, shifting diets, and new industrial uses — lithium iron phosphate batteries chief among them.

Supply, meanwhile, remains rigid. Building an ammonia or urea production unit takes 4 to 7 years and billions of dollars in investment. The result: an estimated ammonia shortfall of 6.8 million tonnes a year by 2029 (excluding China).

Geopolitics at the table

The crisis that erupted in the Middle East in late February 2026 was a sharp reminder of the market’s fragility: nitrogen fertilizer prices jumped 31% year-on-year, and urea prices rose 43% in just three months. The geographic concentration of production — Russia, Qatar, and Iran for urea and ammonia; Morocco for phosphate; Canada for potash — exposes the entire global supply chain to political decisions and regional tensions, particularly around strategic chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz or the Suez Canal.

Three levers reshaping the market

Facing this structural instability, the study identifies three transformation dynamics at work:

– Regionalization of supply chains, driven by emerging production hubs (Nigeria, Mauritania) and by the European fertilizer plan announced in May 2026, which promotes organic and bio-based fertilizers produced in Europe.

– Agronomic efficiency, through the rise of biostimulants, biofertilizers, biocontrol products, and precision agriculture — while today only 20% of farmers worldwide use these solutions.

– Decarbonization of the sector, via green and blue ammonia, still marginal but growing, as fertilizers account for roughly 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

An issue that extends beyond agriculture

The consequences don’t stop at the farm gate: the World Bank estimates that a doubling of fertilizer prices could push food prices up by 10 to 20%. With only 40 to 60% of applied nitrogen actually absorbed by crops today, optimizing existing usage stands out as an immediate performance lever — alongside the long-term investments needed in new capacity.

Players who manage to produce more — or as much — with fewer inputs will hold a triple advantage: economic, environmental, and sovereign, in a market set to remain volatile for years to come.

Would you like to receive the full study by email ? Contact-us.

Last Wednesday, the Arthur Hunt Romania team gathered with clients, partners, and friends at Superbrain — CEO Clubs I Owners Club I Executive Club — to mark a meaningful milestone: 20 years of presence in Romania.

It was an evening to celebrate, but more than that, it was an evening to look forward.

Two Decades of Trust

Twenty years ago, Arthur Hunt set out to build a bridge between talent and organizations in Romania, helping companies find the right people and helping people find the right opportunities. Two decades later, that foundation of trust, expertise, and long-term relationships has become the platform for something bigger.

After 20 years of building that trust, we now have the courage to transform our business and broaden our impact. What started as a bridge in talent and HR is becoming a stronger platform for strategy consulting — helping clients navigate complexity, change, and growth with even greater confidence.

A Storm Outside, a Milestone Inside

Fittingly, the evening unfolded against the backdrop of a real storm outside. It turned out to be a fitting metaphor: progress is rarely made in calm conditions. It takes resilience, clarity, and teamwork to move forward, and that is exactly what this milestone represents for the Arthur Hunt Romania team.

Thank You to Those Who Made It Possible

This evolution would not have been possible without the people who have shaped the journey along the way:

• Our Group Founders Charles-Henri de Beauvoir, Didier Dreyfous-Ducas, and Axel Parkhouse
• Our CEO Olivier Perrin
• Our Senior Advisor Adela Jansen, Ciprian Lăduncă et Adrian Sandu
• The entire Arthur Hunt Romania team, led by Sorin Roibu (Executive Search), Alina Sirbu (HR consulting), Tudor Montescu (Strategy & business transformation), for the commitment, professionalism, and energy they bring every day.

What Comes Next

To our clients, partners, and future clients: if you are looking for a team that combines long-term experience with the ambition to help shape what comes next, we would be glad to build that future together.

Here’s to the next chapter.

Arthur Hunt Romania is part of Arthur Hunt Group, a management and HR consulting firm with over 30 years of history across multiple international offices.

 

IFOP Survey for Bona Fidé and Arthur Hunt

On behalf of the FIPHFP (Fund for the integration of disabled people into the civil service), Arthur Hunt Consulting runs the network of disability representatives throughout the Ile-de-France region. Throughout the year, Arthur Hunt Consulting offers training courses and themed webinars and runs an Employers’ Club.

Testimonial by Louis Gautron – Disability Mission Manager at the Val d’Oise Departmental Council

I just wanted to share with you my great satisfaction at being part of the FIPHFP Employers’ Club. Participating in the club has enabled me to develop my network beyond the Val d’Oise Departmental Council and to be able to talk to my peers. I’ve saved a lot of time since I took up my position. It also enabled me to identify the key players and obtain essential information on the everyday subjects of the Disability Mission. More generally, sharing our experiences, best practices and difficulties throughout the year during the workshops was a breath of fresh air to continue to chart the way for a more inclusive Departmental Council. Many thanks for the support offered, the quality of the speakers, formats and media, in the hope that it will continue in the coming years!

After receiving support through a diagnostic of the employment situation of people with disabilities, the development of an appropriate action plan and the negotiation of an approved disability agreement, Sushi Shop wished to continue its partnership with Arthur Hunt Consulting by entrusting it with the reins of its disability mission.

Feedback from Jean-Baptiste Tilloy, HRD Sushi shop:

Is having a disability mission and a disability
representative a must?

In my opinion, heads of companies who are asking this question need to back up a bit in their thinking. The first question that needs to be asked is: what level of commitment for the inclusion of people with disabilities do I want in my company? If the answer to this first question is that the company has a genuine desire to implement a disability policy that permeates the entire staff, then of course the company must have a disability mission and a disability representative to lead it! Things will need to be shaken up because, unfortunately, disability is often seen as something negative when it’s actually a tremendous performance driver for a company! The disability mission and its representative will act as a disruptor in an environment full of preconceptions and received ideas.

Why choose a disability representative on a shared time basis, can you explain this to us?

This is a very good question, and indeed this choice may seem to be at odds with the company’s commitment that I mentioned in my first answer… but not so much in the end, when you think about it! As I explained, a company needs to shake things up a bit in order to move forward with regard to disability. Who’s never noticed that an outside look often helps a company move forward? We see it every day in the company, an employee puts forward an idea or suggests changes and nothing happens. An employee’s remarks, however relevant, aren’t always listened to… But if that same idea or the same thoughts come from an external third party, things suddenly start to happen. The disability representative on a shared time basis is this external perspective that will enable the company to move forward quickly, at least at the start of the implementation of its disability policy. In the long term, however, internal recruitment will be relevant once the databases have been installed and attitudes have changed.