Europe without gas from the East: conditions and consequences of anti-Russian scenarios

The Head of the German Government Angela Merkel hasn’t ruled out review of the EU cooperation with Russia in the oil and gas sector in the medium or long term, if "Moscow will continue to trample on the fundamental values​​". She stated this at the meeting with the Prime Minister of Finland Alexander Stubb in Berlin in late September.

The threat is serious enough and sufficiently generally couched so you can not pay attention to it. After all, the definition of " fundamental values​​" can include virtually any action of the Russian authorities in the international and in domestic politics.

But let’s remain the interpretation of Russia's actions on the conscience of Angela Merkel. The question should be considered in a practical way: how is this real that Europe can live without Russian hydrocarbons. There is no doubt that the refusal of Europe - and Germany, in particular - from the Russian oil and gas is a matter of time, and Merkel’s threat should be taken seriously. This may require a revision of the plans of many Russian suppliers of hydrocarbons for Europe. In the first place, this concerns Gazprom, as the major supplier of gas. Especially that the leadership of the Russian gas monopoly continues to place the basic stake in its activities on Europe.