Under the Yoke: Europe's Natural Gas Dependency on Russia

Russia provides Europe with less than a quarter of its natural gas requirements. Yet, it has used this resource to both coerce and punish European nations. Gas has become Russia's foreign policy tool of choice. Although Europe has attempted to minimize Russia's leverage by diversifying their suppliers, Russia has actively resisted this strategy with a combination of divide-and-conquer tactics and the acquisition or creation of gas pipelines that supply Europe. Due to a number of reasons, including environmental restrictions against CO2 emissions and a declining acceptance of nuclear power, the EU's need for gas is increasing while its limited organic gas sources, such as the North Sea, are depleting. Hydraulic fracturing is having an impact on the world natural gas markets, but it is unlikely to reduce Europe's reliance upon Russia's gas due to the procedure's possible environmental impact.