The Decarbonization of Natural Gas and Europe's Energy Security

Abstract

The purpose of this working paper is to delineate the correlation between decarbonization and security of supply, and to assess the sequential effect of these notions on the EU’s external gas relations. It first discusses the contribution of the gas sector to the EU’s decarbonization efforts. It then goes on to determine: a) The role of the Union’s external suppliers in today’s liberalized internal market, as well as in the changing reality for natural gas amidst decarbonization developments (independent variables), b) Whether this twofold role prompts the emergence of a new paradigm for the EU’s relations with its key gas suppliers (dependent variable).