Energy Regionalism in Wider Europe: Sub-Regional Energy Dynamics and the EU’s Eastern Partnership
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Date
2024
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Publisher
Ankara Üniversitesi
Abstract
In recent years, the European Union (EU) has taken concrete steps to enhance
its energy security and reduce its dependence on Russia. Russia's invasion of Ukraine
has further highlighted the critical dimension of the energy crisis between Russia and
the EU. This study emphasizes the vital role of sub-regional energy dynamics in
regional policy formulation and criticizes the EU's regional approach by assessing
the EU's Eastern Partnership through the Caucasus Eastern Partnership countries
(Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) and the Northeast Europe Eastern Partnership
countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus). In this realm, countries' recent initiatives will
be investigated to demonstrate how they cope with energy security issues. In the end,
the article underlines the necessity for the EU to adopt tailor-made sub-regional
energy policies. For Northeast Europe Eastern Partnership countries, the EU needs
to support energy market liberalization and stability, invest in critical infrastructural
developments, foster effective dispute resolution mechanisms, and maintain
transparent transit conditions. For Caucasus Eastern Partnership countries, the EU
needs to facilitate multilateral energy cooperation and dialogue, promote energy
market liberalization, and facilitate energy interconnection. In short, strong political
leadership and continuous efforts to foster collaboration and interconnectivity in
wider Europe are necessary to enhance energy security
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Keywords
Energy security, Natural gas, Regionalism, European Union, Eastern Partnership