Case B. Achieving Energy Resilience in the Baltic States: The Road from Isolation to Euro-Atlantic Integration
摘要
Adding to the rich scientific literature on the energy resilience of the Baltic States, this chapter overviews the goals, tools, and results of Russia’s energy coercion activities against Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, and identifies how the Baltic States’ responses strengthened or weakened their energy resilience. The primary objective of Russian energy coercion was to achieve preferential political outcomes (changing national policies and taking control over strategic energy companies) by disrupting energy supply and inflating energy prices. Despite establishing significant economic costs on the Baltic States, Russian energy coercion failed to achieve its aims and eventually, the Baltic States were able to instrumentalize the EU’s financial and political mechanisms to counter its energy coercion by diversifying energy supply. However, the increasing quantity and severity of gray zone activities in Europe, likely attributable to Russia, observed after the full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine establishes additional requirements for the Baltic States’ energy resilience, emphasizing the need to reinforce physical critical energy infrastructure protection.