| Summary: | <p>The Nord Stream natural gas pipeline underneath the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany is an intriguing 21st century project. Not only does the geography dictate part of the geo-political and legal debate surrounding the project, but it also highlights current issues facing European Union in terms of energy security and how to balance this with environmental protection. From the beginning, the Nord Stream project has been subject to intensive political protests especially in Eastern European countries, complex business transactions and legal challenges, not to speak of the logistical challenges posed of its construction. The pipeline is a fascinating case study of multinational big business, European Economic and Energy interests, and sovereign political manoeuvring coupled with intense debate at the supranational EU level about the unique issues exposed by this project.</p> <p>This dissertation views the project through the lens of primarily German interests and the first part of the dissertation examines whether the construction of the Nord Stream Pipeline leads to a net positive gain in energy security while discussing the myth of “asymmetric dependency” of Western Europe on Russian gas. On the contrary, Nord Stream is a step forward in the evolution of the global energy supply chain marked by interdependency and mutual dependency. The second half of the dissertation examines the existing legal framework and precedents regarding issues related to submarine pipelines and the unique geography of this project.</p> <p>The author concludes after analyzing the Nord Stream project in light of these two major themes, that the modern economic and geopolitical importance of cross-border pipelines for reliable and secure energy supply is vital and thus there needs to be an adequate and comprehensive international legal framework. Only through this development to properly supervise and regulate this arena can future projects gain the financial security needed to be completed.</p>
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