This paper analyzes how the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC), which in analytical terms represent a distinctive a transit zone (geopolitical properties of the region and technicalities of pipelines) and a post-soviet buffer zone (the post-Communistic energy regimes undergoing transformation) influenced the construction of security of gas supply in Europe. That is, this paper analyzes the relation between ‘Enlargement 2004’ and the increased acceptance for more ‘differentiated integration’ in the EU. Furthermore, this study attempts to deliver an in-depth understanding of how the CEEC presence and actions (related to the problems caused by sequential Ukrainian-Russian gas disputes that were of major concern to the CEEC) effected the choice of the European integration model for gas security (positive vs. negative security model). Both the scope (gas security processes) and the scale (segmentation and acceptance of energy subregionalism) of this post-enlargement security choice are discussed. Method: Discourse analysis and content analysis.
