Russian energy politics and the European Union

In this thesis, I examine the politics of European Union (EU) and Russian
energy relations. The main analysis is focused on the Russian energy policy towards the
European Union and whether or not Moscow’s attempts at deepening reliance on
Russian’s natural gas are a part of a Russian broad strategy or to gain political leverage
vis-à-vis European countries. More specifically, this thesis focuses on the state-owned
natural gas company Gazprom as a tool of Russia’s energy policy and the extent to which
Russian authorities use this company to shape the politics of EU – Russian energy
relations. This study investigates whether Gazprom has become an extension of the
Russian government, and whether the company has been used as leverage tool to affect
relations between the EU and Russia. Finally, this study also traces the tremendous
growth of the EU – Russia energy partnership by examining several ongoing projects.