Energy and Bulgaria: Moving from the Geopolitical edge to the Middle?
Energy and Bulgaria: Moving from the Geopolitical edge to the Middle?

Author(s): Randel Baker
Subject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, International Law
Published by: Пловдивски университет »Паисий Хилендарски«
Keywords: geopolitical; energy; Nabucco; pipeline; oil; gas; Bulgaria
Summary/Abstract: It would, indeed, be hard to find a more complicated issue than the movement of gas, and oil, to Europe from Central Asia with geopolitical forces operating, seemingly, in all, and often contradictory, directions. But, this issue is of considerable interest to Bulgaria for several reasons: (a) Bulgaria has, historically, found itself on the geographical edge of some other political giant’s business. (b) the potential transit revenues for oil/gas passing over or under its territories and the possibility of energy-based industries developing in Bulgaria could bring the country out of the economic doldrums, (c) two of the biggest options (Nabucco and South Stream) enter Europe through Bulgarian territory, and (d) the new options would provide Bulgaria with an alternative to the existing framework that brings gas in from Russia via Ukraine. The stakes are high for Bulgaria in terms of energy security and considerable income from being the focal transit point for both options to bring energy from Russia or Caucasia. There are possibilities here for Bulgaria to move out of its „edge“ or peripheral position into being to bridge between a signifi cant part of the EU and either Russia’s North Caucasus, or Nabucco’s South Caucasus.

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