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NINO KALANDADZE<br />
60<br />
This picture makes Russia by far<br />
the most important gas supplier<br />
for the EU. In addition, as it is extremely<br />
complicated and expensive<br />
to transport hydrocarbons via sea<br />
routes, the European gas reserves<br />
are highly dependent on the respective<br />
pipeline infrastructure for the<br />
delivery of Russian gas. Moscow’s<br />
gas supply to the EU is distributed<br />
exclusively through the pipelines of<br />
Russia’s state-owned Gazprom energy<br />
company. 11<br />
This rationale gives rise to conditions<br />
whereby the race to preserve<br />
national security through energy security<br />
and individual development<br />
can easily become a politicised issue<br />
- both for the EU and Russia, further<br />
shaping their political relations. The<br />
aforementioned gas disputes support<br />
this notion.<br />
As noted above, Russia’s gas delivery<br />
to European markets makes up<br />
about 30% of the EU’s current gas<br />
consumption. It reached 541 bcm<br />
in 2013, 161 bcm of which was<br />
supplied by Gazprom. About half of<br />
the Russian gas imported in 2013<br />
(approximately 80 bcm) crossed<br />
Ukraine. Even though the EU has<br />
drawn an important lesson from<br />
the Russia - Ukraine gas dispute in<br />
2009, i.e. reducing its dependence on<br />
Ukraine as a transit country for gas,<br />
the most important entry point for<br />
Russian gas into the EU remains the<br />
“Brotherhood” pipeline, located on<br />
the Ukrainian Slovak border (transit<br />
of 52.5 bcm in 2013). 12 This makes<br />
it even more urgent to address the<br />
need for diversified, alternative supply<br />
routes.<br />
Notably, the EU realised the necessity<br />
of diversifying gas supplies long<br />
before these crises ever took place.<br />
Calling upon member states to overcome<br />
the EU’s dangerous dependence<br />
on Russian energy resources,<br />
11.<br />
Buckley – Buck, “Duma votes for Russian Gas Export Monopoly, FT, June 2016, http://www.<br />
ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f042c74a-fd59-11da-9b2d-0000779e2340.html#axzz35pyWwoZy,<br />
Gazprom even controls pipelines leading out of Central Asia and herewith their access to<br />
European markets, see Isabel Gorst, “<strong>Caspian</strong> Boost for US policy”, FT, Dec 2013, http://www.<br />
ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e4f52b20-8ad6-11db-8940-0000779e2340.html#axzz35pyWwoZy<br />
12.<br />
Clingendael International Energy Programme, Factsheet, p.1, 2, http://www.clingendaelenergy.<br />
com/files.cfmevent=files.download&ui=9C1DEEC1-5254-00CF-FD03186604989704,
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