The EU’s Missed Role in International Transit Governance

The debates surrounding the European Union (EU) energy dependency on Russia should take into account the issue of non-acceptance of governance norms, defined hereafter by logic of appropriateness. The logic of appropriateness demonstrates the importance of values and norms in the setting of energy governance. The EU is the world’s largest gas importer, which has not been able to influence effective governance in gas trade with the former Soviet Union (FSU), in spite of its initial strategic interest in the region.

Three dimensions of EU-driven policies have failed to pass a test of the logic of appropriateness: international norms promotion, regional and bilateral relations; and the export of its domestic market model. Each of the three components demonstrates that the EU has, until now, missed achievement of its earlier stated objectives of setting an international energy regime in its relations with the FSU.