Evolution of European Union's energy security in gas supply during Russia–Ukraine gas crises (2006–2009)

Abstract

Recent gas disputes between Russia and Ukraine have renewed interest in the study of energy security in the EU. This paper's main aim is to evaluate developments in gas supply security in the EU-27 Member States in the context of the gas crises of 2006 and 2009. Based on a causal classification of energy risks, two dimensions are proposed for a synthetic indicator – a Weighted Energy Security Index for gas – allowing us to gauge the degree of gas supply security in the sample countries. Our findings show that gas supply security in the EU-27 has hardly improved. We found one group of countries in which the level of gas security has actually worsened, another group that has made little effort at improvement, and another consisting only of Latvia in which a greater effort is appreciable.