Energy Security of Russia and the EU: Current Legal Problems

Summary:

Security of energy supply is a cornerstone of European energy policy. It receives specific mention both in the Constitution Treaty and in the Lisbon Treaty. Of course, energy and energy-generated revenues are vital for Russia as well. It is a common understanding that Russia and the EU are extremely interdependent in terms of energy. On the one hand, Russia is the strategic energy supplier to the EU as a whole; for some member states Russian supplies represent the only source of the external energy flows. On the other hand, the revenues generated from the west-bound supplies of oil and gas constitute a significant share of the overall export income and of the budget of Russian Federation.

While the concepts of “security of energy supplies” or of “energy security” are theoretical in nature, the ways the concepts are understood and the legal framework for them directly influences the way they are applied in practice

• Primary Source

• Alternative Source