FROM TRANSIT NETWORKS TO DIRECT ROUTES: POLITICS AND

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BUSINESS IN EUROPEAN ENERGY DIALOG WITH RUSSIA (THE ‘NORD

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stron

STREAM’ CASE)

6432

ID

University of Alberta, Canada

2007

rok

ABSTRACT

The paper offers an outline of current politico-economic dynamics in the Russian-European gas

import-export dynamics, based on the most recent example of international Nord Stream project.

The aim of Nord Stream is to avoid transit countries and provide a direct link between the supplier

(Russian North) and customer (Germany and Western Europe). The project has triggered a

remarkable discussion in both economic, political, and security terms across EU countries, Russia

and the USA. The main focus of the paper is to provide an analytic outline of contemporary energy

dialog in Europe, where some countries largely depend on natural gas supplied from Russia through

transit countries, problems that lead to consideration of alternative routes, as well as discussions

of alternative forms of gas supply (such as LNG) and potential formation of so-called «gas

OPEC».

Nord Stream is taken as a unique example of both new partnership and new challenges in energy

dialog between largest supplier and customers. Pro- and contra- arguments are analyzed in the

context of political and economic interest of the sides and alternative routes for further

development is sought.