The Economist explains : Why Europe no longer fears the Russian gasman | The Economist
▻http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2015/01/economist-explains-2
A MILD winter and robust European Union policy have blunted the edge of what was once Vladimir Putin’s most effective foreign-policy weapon: the politicised export of gas. Contrary to some expectations, Russian gas has been flowing to Europe across all four main export pipelines this winter, while the Kremlin’s flagship new pipeline project, South Stream, has come to a mysterious and embarrassing end. Now the focus is on the EU to see if it will push ahead with the prosecution of Gazprom, Russia’s main gas exporter, for years of anti-competitive practices. Why has Russia lost its hold on European gas?
Un hiver doux et la ferme détermination de l’Union européenne.
The EU has has also made the supply system a lot more resilient, putting taxpayers’ money into new interconnectors between countries dependent on Russian gas imports.
Je rêve ! Il y aurait de « bons » impôts au service de la concurrence libre et non faussée ?
The EU is likely to put pressure on Croatia to open an import pipeline and LNG terminal on the Adriatic coast. And the EU has yet to fire its biggest weapon against Russia: a colossal “complaint” based on a multi-year investigation into discriminatory pricing and other market abuse dating back to 2004. That could lead to legally mandated changes in Gazprom’s business model and whopping fines. The investigation was masterminded by the previous competition commissioner, Joaquín Almunia, but postponed last year for political reasons (amid war in Ukraine, the EU feared worsening ties with Russia). Now the fate of the Abominable Gasman lies with Mr Almunia’s successor, Margrethe Vestager.
Avec une nouvelle présidente qui vient juste de quitter son boulot à l’OTAN, il n’y a sans doute pas trop de souci à se faire pour les projets croates.