The presentation focusses on energy security, which is a challenge to a number of countries in Europe. Lithuania has been taken as a concrete example to illustrate that it is possible to guarantee reliable alternative and affordable energy supply.
The presentation reads that “after the restoration of its independence in 1990, Lithuania chose the path of integration into the political, economic and security structures of Western Europe. However, Lithuania inherited the infrastructure of interconnections isolated from Europe and synchronised only with the Soviet systems, making the country, together with the other Baltic States, an energy island within the EU which was heavily dependent on Russian energy supply. Lithuania has gradually managed to diversify oil and energy supply routes in its oil and gas sectors. At the moment, the project of synchronisation of the electricity transmission networks of the Baltic States with the continental European network is underway. Once it is completed, energy security will no longer be affected by the decisions taken in the Kremlin.”
Mr Bakas argues that “besides using pressure in the energy sector on the neighbouring countries on a bilateral basis, Russia is also exploring yet another powerful instrument. This entails large-scale energy projects that are economically unsound and geopolitically motivated, such as Nord Stream-2 or the nuclear power plant in Astravyets, Belarus, implemented by Rosatom. “With these projects, Russia aims at stripping its neighbouring countries of a possibility to pursue their energy security policies independently, strengthening the Kremlin’s influence over the EU by increasing its dependence on Russian energy resources, and securing strong support of lobbyists in the capitals of certain EU Member States and EU institutions.”
He noted that “some states, which have plenty of energy resources and export them, quite often use their energy potential for the purpose of dominating the geopolitical arena, i.e. fulfilling, in essence, their imperialistic ambitions. As regards international instruments in energy security, they are basically non-existent or ineffective. That is why it is crucial to continue searching for effective and legally binding international instruments that would protect European energy markets and users from the dictatorship-like behaviour of the states that are rich in energy resources and monopolistic corporations. It is therefore key that the provisions of the EU Third Energy Package, including its latest amendments, are fully implemented in practice and applied with respect to all the existing and future gas interconnections of the EU Member States with third countries.”
The Winter Session of the OSCE PA in Vienna on 21–22 February 2019 is also attended by Rūta Miliūtė, Head of the Seimas Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Deputy Head of the Delegation.
