Mirja Schro der Livres

Guaranteeing energy security is one of the most important challenges for Europe today. Especially since the crises in Ukraine, Europe's interest in an additional supply line of gas and oil to Europe through Turkey has been growing steadily. In both political and academic discourse the question of whether Turkey can develop into a possible future ‘energy hub’ is a hotly debated issue. The country’s geographical position is a big advantage as more than 70 per cent of the world’s oil and gas reserves are located close by. The country may thus hold a key position in the distribution of oil and gas. Will Turkey, itself almost fully dependent on imports, be capable of becoming an energy hub? This edited volume examines Turkey’s prospects as a possible energy hub and in its role in the EU’s energy security. The contributions it contains reflect geopolitical dynamics and interests, economic trends, and the prevailing perceptions of this issue in Turkey and the European Union. With contributions by: Erdoğan Aykaç, Eren Çam, Harald Hecking, Istemi Berk, Johannes Pollak, Linda Dieke, Marc Oliver Bettzüge, Marco Siddi, Mirja Schröder, Neyyire Nilgün Öner Tangör, Nicolò Sartori, Omid Shokri Kalehsar, Samuel R. Schubert, Simon Schulte, Volkan Özdemir, Yakup Atila Eralp, Wolfgang Wessels

Analysing the geopolitical vision of EU external energy policy, exemplified by the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), this study places emphasis on how geopolitical discourse and thinking have influenced EU policymaking. It starts from the dominant view that the Russia–Ukraine gas crises have caused energy security to be featured highly on the EU’s agenda. Accordingly, the European Commission has outlined different measures to ensure supply security, one of which is the diversification of routes and sources through the Caspian region. Taking up the conceptual perspective of critical geopolitics, the book analyses the European Commission’s geopolitical reasoning. It observes that the proposed policy solution of diversifying gas supply and routes through the SGC has turned into a publicly accepted narrative in Commission discourse.