Polis Teatime

Gas conflicts in Europe’s neighborhood: Is Russia weaponizing its energy exports?

15 November 2021 | 18:00 – 19:30

@ Zoom

with Dionis Cenusa

We are glad to invite you to our next Polis Teatime “Gas conflicts in Europe’s neighborhood: Is Russia weaponizing its energy exports?”, joined by our guest Dionis Cenusa, expert on energy security in Eastern Europe.

All over Europe gas prices are surging to new heights as winter is approaching. Especially in Eastern Europe, where energy supply is traditionally a delicate and geopolitical question, this has caused fears of energy shortages like in past incidences. By far the biggest gas supplier of the region Russia is playing a key role and is said to weaponize energy relations with its neighbors, exploiting dependencies and pressuring countries in adapting policies favorably to the Kremlin.

One of the hardest hit countries in the European neighborhood is Moldova, where the government was forced to declare a state of emergency in October after a gas contract with Russian gas enterprise Gazprom had expired this year and a new contract offered by Gazprom included a three-fold price increase which the Moldovan government was neither willing nor able to pay. The EU High Representative Josep Borrell, in fact, accused the Russian Federation of using the demanded gas prices to bully the Republic of Moldova as it was not able to afford it and observers believed that the Kremlin aimed at using the gas supply to put pressure on the newly elected pro-Western government under Prime Minister Gavrilita. Only last week, on October 30, signed a new 5-year contract for Russian gas supplies to the Republic of Moldova. Still, this yet again has shed light on of (Eastern) Europe’s biggest strategic vulnerabilities: energy security and its dependency on Russian energy supplies.

To discuss the dynamics of the latest gas conflicts with Russia in European neighborhood countries like Moldova and Ukraine and its geopolitical implications Polis180’s Perspektive Ost is inviting you to an online Polis Teatime! Join us Monday, November 15, 2021 at 6 p.m. (CET) to discuss together with Dionis Cenusa, researcher at Moldovan Thinktank Expert-Grup and expert on energy policies in the European Neighborhood.

Please register below! In case of any questions or remarks, please send a mail to julian.brummer@polis180.org or mona.richter@polis180.org.

We are looking forward to seeing you on Monday!

About our expert:

Dionis Cenusa is a political analyst and PhD candidate at the Justus Liebig University in Gießen, Germany. Among others, he is affiliated with the Moldovan thinktank Expert-Grup and a regular contributor at the Moldovan press agency IPN. He is an expert for Eastern Europe, especially domestic and geopolitical affairs as well as energy security of the Eastern Partnership countries.