October 1, 2007 Originally published in
World Security Network FoundationA mark of our age is the interconnectivity of the political, social and economic global units, based on the expanding networks of telecommunications, transportation and in the case of the current article; energy. The future of the Balkans and the developments to occur in issues such as Kosovo, strongly depend on the emerging landscape shaped by the antagonisms of the stronger nations and based on the effective control of energy routes. Those include oil & natural gas pipelines and the electricity networks between the states of that region. It has to be noted though, that politics and business sometimes might differentiate, and that further complicates any assessment, especially in a traditionally turbulent region such as the Balkans.
Kosovo's energy outlook
At that point it would constructive to present the economic aspects of the Kosovo issue- A major theme of the present day Balkans- and how international politics and capital mix and influence one another. The Kosovo authority on late 2006 announced the initiation of an international competition regarding the privatization of the energy sector of the province. That includes the creation of a new power station with an estimated dynamic of 2,100 MW, the innovation of an older facility, as well as, the manufacture of a lignite production station that will supply the aforementioned power facilities. The total estimated business plan is some 3 billion Euros, a substantial amount that will be compensated by the future high energy demand of Kosovo and the ability to export electricity to Albania, Montenegro and possibly Bosnia-Herzegovina, another three small nations with rising energy needs. The energy market at stake on this privatization is of around 10 million people as the European Union Mission in Kosovo has reported and made numerous briefings on the aforementioned issue.
Regardless of the legality of the privatization initiative, since the province is still under Serbian sovereign rule under the 1244 UN Resolution; it is important to note that the competitors for the energy investment in Kosovo, come from countries that enjoy more or less cordial relations with USA, such as the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Greece, and of course American companies. Russian or French companies were not present and the winner will certainly follow the existing policy of USA, meaning that it will pursue energy plans according to the planning made by the administration in Washington. Again it has to be stressed that as long as there is not any definite solution in the status of the Kosovo province, there could be not definite outcome in the energy affairs, that need a stable political climate to unfold their projects and offer long-term viable business plans for the corporations involved.
Moreover, the energy sector development potential is based on Kosovo's enviable reserves of lignite, which are estimated at around 12 billion tones. The lignite reserves can be exploited in surface mines, thus providing a very cheap source of energy for thermo-electric power plants. At an exploitation cost of 1, 1 Euro/GJ of energy, Kosovo's coal is definitely the most economical in the region. Investments in energy and mining sectors are highly profitable and will make Kosovo a significant regional energy supplier, as a last year's briefing from the USA State Department concluded. Kosovo now has two thermal power-producing blocks, "Kosovo A" and "Kosovo B", built between 1960 and 1984, with respective capacities of 800 MW and 678 MW. Currently their combined output cannot exceed 640 MW, due to physical deterioration.
The existing reserves of coal would enable the expansion of the generating capacity by up to an additional 2000 MW. This would require investments in opening new coal mines. Lignite is currently mined at two locations in the vicinity of the power plants (Mirash and Bardh mines). These two mines have largely been exploited and new mines will have to be opened to provide adequate coal supply for the existing and possible new power plants. With adequate investments, lignite mining will again become a large and profitable business in Kosovo and the Balkan Investigative Report Network assumes for bright prospects for Kosovo's energy future, when and if the reconstruction of the existing power units takes place.
External factors: Russia, Germany and France
Russia now, since the ascendancy of Putin in the Russian Presidency has proved to be an apt player in the economic game that is being unfolded through the construction of a variety of pipelines transferring hydrocarbon from East-to West. Nowadays at least 25% of the European Union’s energy needs in natural gas & oil are being met by Russia and in some cases such as Slovenia; this percentage reaches 60% (Gas) or even 100% for Romania and Slovakia. Moreover the projector for the next generation is negative for the EU since its energy dependency levels will increase from 76% (Oil) to 93% in 2030 as the European Parliament Report revealed in its research on the EU energy dependency rates. If one adds the political perils concerning imports from the Middle East and the proximity of the Russia market; then the influence of the latter seems to be enchasing, at least for the short and middle term.
The EU-Russia relations are inexorably related to the Balkans, because of their importance as a hub from which energy projects are going to facilitate the transport of energy. Furthermore the fragile political conditions that the Balkan states are experiencing will always prove to be a trigger box for the European states that so far have failed to address the regional conflicts properly, meaning peacefully. It is essential to draw the attention to the reader that the whole of the South Eastern European area contains multiple international missions, heavy militarized zones and is also one of the main axes by which narcotics and illegal immigrants traverse from East to West. Therefore the amalgamation of energy security considerations and the other forms of security nowadays truly preserves a unique placement for the region for years to come. That of course includes the great attention of all nations that have international interests or aspire to expand their influence further.
The Kosovo negotiations and the diplomatic marathon that has begun, centered around the resolution around this Serbian province, seems to be heading towards infinitum talks; unless the Albanian side decides to negotiate vis-avis with Belgrade for the fate of Kosovo based in the protection of nation sovereignty, which is after all the cornerstone of the United Nations principles and the sine qua non for the peaceful existence of all nationalities in the present day South Eastern Europe. What attracts interest so far is the formation of diverging interests between the major power units affecting the Balkan politics and consequently the underlying importance of the energy factor in the tactics used by the aforementioned.
First of all, the new President of the French Republic, Nicola Sarkozy, drifted considerably from the previous Chirac Administration in relation to the Paris Balkan policy. In the recent G-8 meeting he proposed several months delay of a Kosovo resolution, without of course providing any concrete assurance for a final positive stance of France in the Albanian demands for independence. For the time being it seems that the French diplomacy wants to buy time so as to better place itself in the changing Balkan scenery, predicting –As it is going to be examined below- the relative decline of the American influence and the rise of the German and the Russian influence in the region. Also France experienced a significant political change with the recent ascendancy of Sarkozy in Champs Elysses, and none can exclude a wider turn of the French policy and a re-examination of its global priorities. For the moment it is best to conclude that Paris begins slowly to acquire a role in the Balkan geopolitical landscape.
Secondly the “Ahtisaari affair”, relating to the revelations around an alleged bribe of the Ex-Finnish President by the Kosovo-Albanian organized crime; has caused a stir in the Balkans, not just for the probability of the verity of the accusations, but also around a possible United Nations cooperation in the whole affair. Supposedly the German BND headed by one of its chief operatives in the Balkans leaked to the Bosnian journal "Focus" the information around Ahtisaari. The UN envoy replied at the accusations 6 full days afterwards as it was reported in the Finnish press, by calling them “Rubbish”, although he didn’t mention around the bare facts and most importantly he hasn’t asked for a judicial protection or even pressed charges against the individuals claiming him to be corrupt. The latest reports from Finland indicate for the withdraw of Ahtisaari from public life and the consequent end of his mediation role in Kosovo. Moreover, for the time being no official or unofficial statement exists from international bodies, and one has to take into notice the report by BND on mid-2006, that made an extensive presentation of the Albanian organized crime activities in the Balkans and Kosovo, thus damaging severely the reputation of the Albanian side while it was negotiating with the Serbians and the international community. That report as well was surfaced publicly in the German newspaper "Berliner Zeitung". Further, additional German troops are heading to Kosovo after a decision by Berlin that anticipates troubles in the Province due to Albanian resentment for the fading hopes of independence, Deutche Welle confirmed a few weeks ago. On the other hand, high-level German diplomats & politicians occasionally make remarks that are for the independence of Kosovo thus appeasing the sentiment of the Albanian populous. Two things can be assessed concerning the German tactic in the region. It wants to maintain links with all sides, and most importantly it has already reached unofficially a modus vivedi with Moscow on certain regional affairs. The latter, would include Berlin acting as the main EU voice in the Balkan region and the ability to get in touch with Moscow much easier than Paris or even London.
Russian energy expansionism: Common interests & differences
Russia from its point of view, it continues its drive into becoming Europe’s energy supply powerhouse and the Balkans seem to be the perfect terrain in laying down the basis for that. Of course energy is one aspect of Moscow's expansion that ultimately wants to regain as much as possible geopolitical space it has abandoned since 1991.
A few days ago another grand deal was signed between Athens, Sofia, Rome and Moscow, relating to the creation of a massive pipeline transferring natural gas from the Burgas port to Northern Greece and up to Southern Italy, named “South Stream”. The pipeline will have a total length of some 3,200 km and it will be pumped with some 30 billion cubic meters of gas each year from the Russian reservoirs, the Eurasian Daily Monitor service of the Jamestown Foundation reported.
Moreover the total cost will exceed 10 billion USD and it is interesting to note that it will affect negatively Turkey and Iran. The first country will be affected because the proposed pipelines will by-pass its territory, thus degrading to an extent its role in the regional energy politics. Teheran will also suffer from a partial exclusion from the European market that will be taped for the time being by Russia. Moreover Italy options for Russian gas imports and in general the European common energy policy is heading towards its final end, after the similar moves by Germany as well.
The pipeline will traverse sub-water the Black Sea and end in Burgas port in Bulgaria. Afterwards it will split most probably in two parts; one heading towards Southern Austria or Northern Italy and the other one passing through Greece and terminating in the Otrando port in Southern Italy, just opposite the island of Corfu. This massive project will be commenced in late 2009 and will be financed by the Italian ENI Corporation and the Russian energy giant, Gazprom.
Over the past 4 months another two important deals were reached concerning energy routes in the Balkans. Primarily, the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline transferring oil from Burgas in Bulgaria to the Aegean Greek port of Alexandroupoli and with a 51% Russian stake. Also the initial agreement was reached for the Constanja-Trieste pipeline that will connect the Black Sea with the Adriatic via the central Balkans. Lastly the Turkish-Greek-Italian natural gas pipeline will support the exportation of Azeri energy to the West, again through the Balkan terrain.
From all the above schemes, only the last one has the full American support, whilst the rest have for the moment, the tacit disapproval of Washington. That can be explained by the persistence the USA has followed in securing the interests of the Albanian side in the Balkans – Or simply not planning forward-, thus disengaging itself from the regional culminations. The assessment of the American policy on the past decade was initially drawn on the fact that Russia is weak and Europe not willing to invest political capital in the Balkans. On the contrary, the modern political climate favors Russian expansionism whereas the main European actors, and most importantly Germany, seek energy sources and new markets in order to survive the very competitive global arena as it being shaped by globalization, as well as, the emergence of the giants of the East (China & India) and the unpredictable Arab-Islamic world.
The American strategic option
Since the political strategy of the 90’s is effectively discredited, the USA foreign policy experts are in the sensitive position to reshape their aims without at the same time being seen as blaming themselves for the mistakes made, regardless of the Administration in charge. In simple terms, USA faces an antagonism in a region it invested heavily in political, diplomatic and military terms. The possibility of an American radical change in its Balkan policy should be excluded since large nations never admit past mistakes for reasons relating to their international prestige and posture. Therefore an engagement with Russia in relation to the Balkans, energy routes, and Kosovo should come in hand gradually and certainly after careful considerations of possible trade-offs and negotiations between Washington and Moscow. The meeting between President Bush & Putin in Maine on the 1st-2nd of July revealed a sense of agreement around the Iranian nuclear issue and could prove to be a critical stage for the implementation of a paradigm shift in the American policy and in the locality of the Balkans in particular. Lastly it is interesting to note a contradiction of the USA foreign policy in a peripheral affair. As far Kosovo is concerned, Washington supports independence, along with Teheran and many other Islamic states, that seek to benefit from the creation of stronger bonds between the newly-created mini-state in the Balkans, which is strongly influenced by "Islamic charities" and organizations aiming in exporting Sunni Wahhabist or fundamentalist Shia nucleus in Europe. On the other hand the USA is trying to curb Iranian influence in the Middle East (i.e. Lebanon), even though this is a far more difficult task.
The strategic aim of the United States is to retain –At least- its influence in the Eurasian mass and the Balkans are an integral strategic field for that. The importance of the region is vast in comparison with its population, due to its use as a hub for the energy needs of the West and the Russian ambitions. Moreover the proximity to the Middle East and North Africa, reserve a truly unique placement for the Balkans in the strategic considerations of the global power-architecture cores in London, Washington, Moscow, Paris, Berlin and Beijing increasingly. The coming months will reveal more of the intrigues involved, and most importantly the winners and the losers of the “Energy game” of the 21st century.
In general, for the time being the situation of the state of Balkan affairs is more in flux than even since the beginning of the Rambouillet negotiations in late 1998, and there are numerous scenarios that could unfold depending on the extent of the Russian ambitions, the willingness of the USA to negotiate or manipulate developments and the ability of the Europeans to exert influence in between. Last but not least the other non-state actors such as the organized crime syndicates, the Islamic terrorist groups and the plethora of international NGO’s will be also assessing the situation since their vital interests depend on a final “Balkan solution”, albeit differently for each one, in their own unique way.
Balkan prospects and practical steps
It is seems that the Balkans are entering into a classic era of antagonism between the "Great powers", as if history never forgets to repeat itself, so as to provide concrete lessons to the younger generations as well. The region is in need of large thorough and conclusive series of agreements between the stakeholders, i.e. the Balkan countries and the global powers that have vital interests in there.
· A series of high-level roundtables, between diplomats of all sides should commence, in order to assess the situation and propose solutions that will aim to compromise the antithetical interests of most parties. It should not only be targeted for the Kosovo issue, which is a part of the wider "Balkan architecture" relating to the European energy security and beyond.
· The Heads of States in the region should aim to interconnect further their power infrastructures, albeit after a modernization scheme that could be provided by the EU in most respects.
· The American and Russian President should be encouraged by the international community to engage further in issues concerning the European Continent and the Balkan locale in particular. An American-Russian confrontation will not be a positive development and will quickly result in political instability and conflicts in the already fragile Balkan political scene.
· The EU should fast assume all responsibilities from the UN in the region. The United Nations have not been an adequate international force to deal with the explosive problems in the Balkans. A European-led initiative in a political, economic, diplomatic and cultural level is perhaps the only alternative for the Balkan people, and a viable solution for the Kosovo issue.
· The spread of multiple oil & natural gas pipelines traversing the Balkans should be encouraged, so as, to offer a pluralistic environment concerning the European energy security considerations. In parallel, importation of energy commodities from states not under the Russian aegis should be assisted in order to balance imports and secure alternatives.
· The respect for territorial integrity should be viewed as an integral part for the Balkan & European stability. As Kosovo is concerned; there could be many legal and political options under which the rights of the majority and minority could be respected without the need of map redraws. The EU again is to play a fundamental role in this.
· Lastly there should be a serious public debate - In Europe at least-, as to what role should the Balkans play in the 21st century. Judging by the geopolitical proximity to the Middle East & North Africa, it might be wise to consider them as both a forefront and a gateway of Europe in the Muslim world. That surely needs considering the long-term prospects of the Western-Islamic relations, and how the Balkans could both became a model for co-existence and a region that could offer protection in times of crises or dramatic upturns.
NATO cautious on Albania's membership hopes
