77
(12.6%), and coal (18.2%) (Shaffer 2009:129). Europe is the world’s largest market
importer of natural gas, a situation that is unlikely to change in the immediate future,
given that over the last decade its own production capacity has decreased year on
year. Europe’s share of gas imports has grown from 48.9% in 2000 to 62.5% in
2010. Most of the natural gas imported by the EU is supplied via pipelines, but over
the last few years its share of LNG has increased and reached at least 15% of all gas
imports by 2011 (www.belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu 2017). Russia is the EU’s main
natural gas supplier and its contribution to overall imports in 2015 alone amounted
to 30% or 161.5 bcm (www.clingendaelenergy.com 2016a, b).
Natural gas plays a central role in Europe’s energy mix and makes up 23% of its
primary energy consumption. The IEA predicts that European natural gas consumption will increase to 618 bcm by 2035 (www.clingendaelenergy.com 2016a, b). In
the long term, the EU is planning to invest more in energy infrastructure, which the
EU Commission estimates will require around €89 million in investment by the end
of the decade. The EU is in the process of investing around €9.2 billion in infrastructure projects between 2014 and 2020, hoping to strengthen intra-European networks
and extend the overall pipeline systems beyond their current size by a huge
135,000 km (www.clingendaelenergy.com 2016a, b).
European Energy Strategy
In the aftermath of the Ukrainian crisis, the EU had come to the realization of its
excessive reliance on Russia for energy supplies. Thus, it made plans toward the
establishment of an Energy Union. The goal of the Energy Union was to create a
single, internal market that was sustainable among the member states. In addition,
this Union would have the capability of controlling bilateral energy cooperation
among countries so that a balanced and diverse supply can be secured. As claimed
by Miguel Arias Cañete, the EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, the
Energy Union was not to be established with the aim of opposing the individual
goals of any country; rather, the aim was to secure energy for all member states
(www.aaenergyterminal.com 2016).
In the aftermath of the Ukrainian crisis, when Russia was criticized for using
natural gas as a political tool, the European Commission released a plan with the
goal of decreasing its level of energy dependency on May 26, 2014 titled, “European
Energy Security Strategy.” By means of this memorandum, the European
Commission highlighted once more the necessity to advance the EU’s energy security, especially in terms of natural gas supplies. The proposed strategy was founded
on eight key pillars which had the objective of reinforcing closer ties among member states by pursuing the principle of solidarity, while at the same time showing
respect to national energy decisions. The security environment in Europe includes
the European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern security fronts, which gives it a
multidimensional structure. Accordingly, the security of energy supplies would constitute one other component of the continent’s security issue (Kaysi 2011:63–82).
European Union
(12.6%), and coal (18.2%) (Shaffer 2009:129). Europe is the world’s largest market
importer of natural gas, a situation that is unlikely to change in the immediate future,
given that over the last decade its own production capacity has decreased year on
year. Europe’s share of gas imports has grown from 48.9% in 2000 to 62.5% in
2010. Most of the natural gas imported by the EU is supplied via pipelines, but over
the last few years its share of LNG has increased and reached at least 15% of all gas
imports by 2011 (www.belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu 2017). Russia is the EU’s main
natural gas supplier and its contribution to overall imports in 2015 alone amounted
to 30% or 161.5 bcm (www.clingendaelenergy.com 2016a, b).
Natural gas plays a central role in Europe’s energy mix and makes up 23% of its
primary energy consumption. The IEA predicts that European natural gas consumption will increase to 618 bcm by 2035 (www.clingendaelenergy.com 2016a, b). In
the long term, the EU is planning to invest more in energy infrastructure, which the
EU Commission estimates will require around €89 million in investment by the end
of the decade. The EU is in the process of investing around €9.2 billion in infrastructure projects between 2014 and 2020, hoping to strengthen intra-European networks
and extend the overall pipeline systems beyond their current size by a huge
135,000 km (www.clingendaelenergy.com 2016a, b).
European Energy Strategy
In the aftermath of the Ukrainian crisis, the EU had come to the realization of its
excessive reliance on Russia for energy supplies. Thus, it made plans toward the
establishment of an Energy Union. The goal of the Energy Union was to create a
single, internal market that was sustainable among the member states. In addition,
this Union would have the capability of controlling bilateral energy cooperation
among countries so that a balanced and diverse supply can be secured. As claimed
by Miguel Arias Cañete, the EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, the
Energy Union was not to be established with the aim of opposing the individual
goals of any country; rather, the aim was to secure energy for all member states
(www.aaenergyterminal.com 2016).
In the aftermath of the Ukrainian crisis, when Russia was criticized for using
natural gas as a political tool, the European Commission released a plan with the
goal of decreasing its level of energy dependency on May 26, 2014 titled, “European
Energy Security Strategy.” By means of this memorandum, the European
Commission highlighted once more the necessity to advance the EU’s energy security, especially in terms of natural gas supplies. The proposed strategy was founded
on eight key pillars which had the objective of reinforcing closer ties among member states by pursuing the principle of solidarity, while at the same time showing
respect to national energy decisions. The security environment in Europe includes
the European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern security fronts, which gives it a
multidimensional structure. Accordingly, the security of energy supplies would constitute one other component of the continent’s security issue (Kaysi 2011:63–82).
European Union