Turkey's energy strategy and EU energy security: current developments and future prospects

Abstract

This chapter presents an overview of Turkey's role as a transit cuntry for energy supplies to the European Union (EU), assessing the extent to which EU energy needs and Turkish policies are complementary. In the first section we analyse the energy needs of EU members, paying special attention to the trends in the relative importance of oil and natural gas and to the expected growth in consumption in the next few years, as well as to the development of a strategy for the security of energy supply. The second section deals with the position of Turkey as the link between producer and consumer regions, explaining the comparative advantages and disadvantages of the different transport routes that cross its territory. Finally, in our conclusions we focus on the future prospects of energy supplies through Turkey, taking in to account external developments such as the recent crisis between Ukraine and Russia about natural gas.