To What Extent is Energy Trade a Cooperative Exception in the Crisis-Ridden EU-Russia Relationship?

With the onset of the Ukraine crisis, political, economic and security relations between the European Union and Russia have deteriorated considerably. Bilateral trade, the most tangible aspect of EU-Russia cooperation, contracted dramatically under the effect of EU sanctions, Russian countersanctions and the economic crisis in Russia. In this complex and tense context, EU-Russia cooperation has continued in selected areas, for instance in fora concerning the Baltic Sea and the Arctic, as well as in negotiations on important international issues such as the Iranian nuclear programme. In the economic sphere, energy trade constitutes the most significant exception. Russia remains the most important supplier of fossil fuels to the EU, and volumes of oil and gas exports have increased despite the Ukraine crisis. The persistence of the energy relationship in times of crisis highlights its relevance as a cooperative ‘zone of contact’ between the EU and Russia. At the same time, however, political tensions have affected energy relations too. While energy trade has continued, mutual suspicions and the lack of trust (particularly from the perspective of some EU member states) have induced both sides to explore options to diversify their commercial partners. Hence, this paper explores the evolving nature of the EU-Russia energy partnership: to what extent is it a cooperative exception in the broader, confrontational political and security context? The paper addresses this question with reference to International Relations theory. It argues that liberal approaches and complex interdependence provide the most apt theoretical framework to explain why energy trade has continued and even increased despite high political tensions. Bridging this approach with the insights of social constructivist scholars allows an understanding of how expanding trade has coexisted with growing distrust and discursive conflict. The paper maintains that negative discourses stem primarily from deep-rooted identity factors and the portrayal of Russia as a negative Other within the EU, which has been reinforced by Russia’s actions in the Ukraine crisis. These discourses tend to disregard the realities of energy trade and securitise energy relations as part of the broader conflictual EU-Russia relationship.