Publication

This paper discusses the implications of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) winning the bid to deliver Azerbaijani gas to Europe. The selection of TAP can be viewed as a commercially sound decision and a political balancing act by Baku to gain access to European markets and to avoid angering the Kremlin. The author argues that for its part, the EU has failed to be a credible actor in the region, able to defend its interests by diversifying energy supplies, decreasing the energy dependence of some member states on Russia and contributing to regional security in the South Caucasus.