The 2020 Russian-Ukraine War brought the export of gas from Russia to the European Union to the halt of screeching. Natural gas, exported from Russia to European countries since 1991, has passed the Ukrainian pipeline. However, when the war broke out, President Voldimir Zelensky He claimed his country “Russia will not allow billions more people with our blood,” bans Russia from using the pipeline. This means a European crisis as Russian gas accounts for 40% of EU imports in 2021. It was dropped 8% in 2023. As a result, Europe is forced to see elsewhere, and their focus appears to be on Algeria. While this may seem ideal for both parties, this new attention will have global and national impact on Algeria due to the EU’s exploitative political trends.
The Russian-Ukraine War has had a rich and groundbreaking impact on the stability of European regions, where emergency security is at the forefront of the world. After war and sanctions implementation The EU to Russia has significantly reduced Russia’s contribution to European exports for natural gas and oil. In fact, at the start of 2022, Russia made its branding as the largest supplier, accounting for 38.8% of the EU’s natural gas supply. Russia’s share from 2023 It was dropped It’s significantly up to 3.2%. But Europe Underrated The role of these trade relations and their importance to energy security, enforcing them Look elsewhere For natural gas and to do so quickly. Before the war, Algeria was the third largest supplier of natural gas in Europe. However, the crisis and its urgency exposed Algeria as a savior of European energy security, particularly due to its proximity to Europe and abundant gas reserves. Following this change of attention, Algeria I was spotted A series of famous visits from European representatives, including the Council of Europe, the President of France and the President of Italy. However, this new trust appears to be rushed and idealistic, ignoring technical and geopolitical challenges.
A look back at Europe’s geopolitical history with many African countries reveals the nature of this new relationship. rear African scrambling In the 1880s, when the global Northern countries colonized the global South, economic policies benefiting core countries were implemented, creating exploitative relations. Colonized countries were essentially forced Exporting raw materials. Algeria as a country that existed Colonized France has imposed an economic system focused on extracting specific raw materials such as grains, wines and minerals. These exploitative policies promoted commodity dependence and formed the economies of developing countries primarily based on the export of raw materials. This has serious implications when applied to geopolitical dynamics in Europe and Africa. The legacy of this colony is not just a factor shape The Algerian economy is one of the biggest challenges for current development efforts.
Even if they develop in cooperation with Europe, Algeria is not that big I received the benefits These trade transactions left the EU to the advantage. for example, EU and Algeria Association Agreement An overview of the framework for cooperation between both is provided. But when is that It has been enforcedthe EU eliminated tariffs on most Algerian exports, but Algeria maintained temporary tariffs in the phase-out period promised by 2017. By 2017, this deadline was extended to 2020 and has not been resolved to this day. Since the Russian-Ukraine War, Europe quickly raided and secured its advantage in an attempt to force more of these same free trade deals. The EU is Algeria’s major trading partner, particularly in exports, but Algeria is Ranking 24th in EU exports. this Set them Becoming a weak actor on a global scale during this energy crisis. It remains unclear whether Europe views Algeria as equal or for exploitation. In addition to these global concerns regarding dynamics between the EU and Algeria, Algeria is also impacted at the national level.
Despite the EU’s perspective and ambitions that promote relationships with Algeria, the position and role of Algeria in this new energy dependence must also be considered. This year, Algeria has been more of a European focus than ever before. This is positive for Algeria from a global perception perspective, but their government has already Stressing Addressing the main source of dependence of European natural gas, especially for Italy and Spain. The challenges become clear when the time comes when the ability to play this new role and the desire for new attention and power to contradict each other. To meet new European demand, Algeria will need to significantly increase its gas exports, meaning an urgent increase in gas production. This is a problem because Algeria has experienced something important downfall Natural gas reserves from 2019 to 2021 ranged from 4,500 bcm to 2,000 BCM, respectively. In addition to these physical constraints, there are structural challenges as well. prevent Because Algeria can make full profits from now on. Algeria’s political class remains deep corruption. This could lead to revenue generated by energy going directly to what the government believes is the most pressing, such as Algerian military force to ease tensions with Morocco. Furthermore, Algeria has set itself up for a tense relationship with the EU, especially if it doesn’t deal with the already-current core tensions between them arising from anxiety Transition over. These debates go back through Europe once again as they try to reuse African countries.
The energy crisis following the Russian-Ukraine War has led European countries to turn to Algeria as the main source of energy for natural gas. This dynamic reflects the past history of Algeria and the EU, and the core surrounding relationships that industrialized European countries have sought resources from Algeria while controlling key trade conditions. The urgency and desire to move away from this dependence on Russia have prompted the EU to put high pressure on trade ties with Algeria. The scattered approach of Europe reveals the exploitative political trends that put Algeria in a difficult situation. The EU has attracted attention and thereby given Algeria power, which comes at the expense of Algeria’s real benefits from trade.
Featured Images: Kadri Simson at EU-Algerian’s high-level energy dialogue – P061960-808379.jpg by European Commission – Photographer: Lukasz Kobus is held down below CC by 4.0.
Edited by Dahlia Harrison-Irwin
