New Gas Supplies For the Western Balkans Facilitates a Geopolitical Game Rather Than the Green Energy Transition

The Western Balkans plan to rely on hydrocarbon as a quick and affordable replacement for coal. The region is now looking to secure new gas supplies from sources other than Russia with the support of the West. However, this diversification would come with new geopolitical and economic risks, while the new dependence on gas would further compromise the decarbonisation of a region heavily polluted by coal burning.

On the second Sunday in December, the Serbian city of Niš hosted a geopolitically noteworthy meeting of statesmen. Serbian President Vučić, known for his teetering between Russia and the West, together with the pro-Russian president of Bulgaria and the authoritarian ruler of Azerbaijan, launched a new gas pipeline linking Bulgaria and Serbia.

Along with the trio, the EU’s top official in Serbia also pressed the green button but was overshadowed by Vučić at the key moment for the cameras. Ironically, it was the EU who covered most of the costs of the project, with the intention to reduce the region’s dependence on Russian gas. This peculiar moment illustrates well how the interests of local politicians and global powers meet and clash in the geopolitical game for new gas supplies to the Western Balkans.