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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
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Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2: a comparative study

Author

Term

4. term

Publication year

2020

Submitted on

Abstract

This thesis examines why Nord Stream 2 is treated and framed markedly differently in the EU compared to Nord Stream 1, despite the pipelines being technically similar and both presented as commercial projects. It adopts a comparative case study design that integrates theoretical lenses from neorealism and liberal interdependence with an empirical overview of the evolution of the EU gas market, EU energy security and the Third Energy Package, EU–Russia energy relations and gas trade, and background on the Nord Stream projects. The analysis addresses three core dimensions: the projects’ contributions to EU energy security, their alignment with EU energy regulation, and their effects on the EU’s energy dependence on Russia. It further explores the political debate and opposition within the EU, shifts in the geopolitical setting, implications for transit countries such as Ukraine, legal considerations, and patterns of energy interdependence. The excerpt does not report final findings, but clarifies the study’s purpose, research questions, and analytical approach.

Dette speciale undersøger, hvorfor Nord Stream 2 i EU bliver behandlet og omtalt markant anderledes end Nord Stream 1, selv om rørledningerne teknisk set fremstår som næsten identiske og begge beskrives som kommercielle projekter. Udgangspunktet er et komparativt case-studie, der kombinerer teoretiske perspektiver fra neorealisme og liberal interdependens med en empirisk gennemgang af udviklingen på EU’s gasmarked, EU’s energisikkerhed og den Tredje Energipakke, EU–Rusland energirelationer og gashandel samt baggrunden for Nord Stream-projekterne. Analysen fokuserer på tre centrale dimensioner: projekternes bidrag til EU’s energisikkerhed, deres overensstemmelse med EU’s energiregulering, og deres indvirkning på EU’s energi-afhængighed af Rusland. Derudover belyses den politiske debat og modstand i EU, det ændrede geopolitiske landskab, betydningen for transitlande som Ukraine, juridiske aspekter og energi-interdependens. Uddraget indeholder ikke de endelige fund, men præciserer specialets formål, forskningsspørgsmål og analytiske tilgang.

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