Review article
(De) securitisation factors of the EU’s gas supply
Jelena Radić Đozić
orcid.org/0000-0002-4448-5535
; PhD student at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb
Abstract
The EU energy policy has come closer to the security policy due to ever growing EU dependence on the external, non-market-oriented gas suppliers and due to experience of the gas supply disruption crises. The issue of gas supply security represents the basis of the security dimension, one of three EU energy policy’s dimensions (besides economic and environmental ones). Putting emphasis on security dimension has provoked the securitization of the EU energy policy. In the aftermath of the first gas supply crisis in the EU, one of the member states took the role of a securitizing actor. It has tried to convince the relevant audience (other member states as well as the EU institutions) that the gas supply disruption presents an existential threat and has claimed commitment to extraordinary measures. Failed securitization due to divergent member states’ interests has revealed the security dimension as the weakest dimension of the EU energy policy. The EU wants to avoid the impression of the militarisation of this non-military sector and leaves the issue within the sphere of regular politics. It retains the discursive dimension of securitization (”energy security” has become a usual collocation), but simultaneously has decided to create common crises response capabilities. The aim of this paper is to show which market and non-market measures are taken to safeguard gas supply as well as the mechanism of gas supply crisis management, based on solidarity, subsidiarity and regionality. The working hypothesis is that the EU has not securitized the issue of gas supply but has moved it from the non-politicized to the politicized sphere as a part of public policy. The comprehensive EU mechanism of gas supply management, strict rules and a system of mutual control prevent the securitization of the issue, namely the emergency mode, going beyond standard political procedures.
Keywords
gas supply; the EU; security; crisis management; securitisation
Hrčak ID:
210715
URI
Publication date:
3.12.2018.
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