The East Mediterranean Gas Forum: A Regional Institution Struggling in the Mire of Energy Insecurities

Abstract

Abstract In January 2019, governments of several East Mediterranean countries agreed to create a new regional technical intergovernmental organization, the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (emgf). Its Statute was signed in September 2020 and came promptly into force in March 2021. The emgf was established at a time when the region’s rivalries, especially unresolved maritime issues (including questions of delimitation), were exacerbated by exploration and drilling activities in contested areas with significant fossil fuel deposits. The principal aim of the emgf is to form a sustainable and competitive regional gas market and to ensure energy security for participating countries in a volatile market, a goal of immense importance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and in part, it is a response to unfriendly and threatening positioning by other States. But the emgf’s role may be best described as one of coordination and cooperation. Following a short overview of the maritime disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean, the article examines the emgf from the perspective of the law of international institutions. Weak provisions and lacunae in the Statute are recorded, while pertinent answers are offered. It is argued that, while the emgf is well-intentioned in a region mired in discord, it is institutionally weak and, if its operation is not improved and enhanced, it may become a largely meaningless discussion platform.