Initial Balkan enthusiasm for Russia’s South Stream gas pipeline and the chance for the region to be at the energy crossroads for Europe has faded. But energy remains at the centre of a geopolitical battleground involving Europe and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions to rebuild a wider Russia. There is no sign his ambition will end in Crimea.
<i>The European Union’s warning to member states to halt infrastructure works on the Russian South Stream pipeline was proof of the seriousness of the EU’s energy policy. The ruling that bilateral contracts with Gazprom were against EU law demonstrated Brussels’ commitment on energy and geopolitics. The need for an energy policy i...
