At a meeting of the foreign ministers of EU member countries in Brussels on March 17, it was decided to take the envisaged funds for Nabucco out of the 5 billion euro rescue plan, earmarked to deal with the global crisis. German Chancellor Anglea Merkel's stance, which suggested that the public budget may not be used for a project that will not be useful for Berlin, effectively influenced the decision. The European Commission, which agreed to use 3.5 billion euros of this budget to support energy projects, previously decided to reserve 250 million euros for Nabucco, but subsequently reduced this amount to 200 million for a more balanced breakdown among the members. After Merkel's opposition, the EU split into two groups: supporters for the Nabucco project and skeptics against the endeavor. Romania, situated on the route of Nabucco, objected to the recent move. Merkel wants the Nord Stream, a Russian-German natural gas pipeline that will transport enough gas for half of Germany, to be included in the projects that will be funded by the EU.The Nabucco project -- a natural gas pipeline involving Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria that will carry natural gas from the Middle East and the Caspian Basin to European markets -- is an important endeavor that will meet the energy demands of the countries on the route and serve as an important supplier of natural gas, with a huge capacity of 31 billion cubic meters per annum. It was designed as an important pipeline for energy security that will connect the East to the West. Two thousand kilometers of the line will be constructed within the borders of Turkey whereas 400 kilometers will be built in Bulgaria, 460 in Romania, 390 in Hungary and 46 in Austria. The total investment in the project is estimated to be 8 billion euros. Work already started in 2002; in 2005, the Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH was founded by the project stakeholders to ensure the coordination of the project work.
Like any other international project involving more than one country, it is only natural to have problems and discussions with respect to the implementation and execution of the Nabucco project. These discussions and disagreements may include the degree of responsibility adopted by the respective countries and their contributions to the project. It is obvious that the EU wants a diversified list of suppliers of natural gas and oil as alternatives to the Russian Federation, which currently serves as the only transit country for Europe's energy supply.
Merkel adopted a stance against the Nabucco project because the EU does not suffer from a natural gas deficit and the EU parliamentary elections will be held on June 7, 2009; however, unlike the EU, Turkey is dealing with a growing deficit of natural gas. Besides, the natural gas source for the Nabucco project is still uncertain. At the moment, the natural gas resources of Şahdeniz 2 of Azerbaijan, which still remain unexplored, seem to be the best and most realistic alternative. The EU, led by Merkel, wants to make sure that Turkey does not benefit from Nabucco; the EU also asks Turkey to serve only as a transit country. However, Turkey wants to have at least 15 percent of its natural gas to be transported by Nabucco.
Another reason for Merkel's opposition to the Nabucco project is her determination not to strengthen Turkey's position before the EU parliamentary elections on June 7. The biggest partner in the coalition government in Germany, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), opposed Turkey's membership in the EU in its election program for the European Parliament endorsed at the European Convention held in Berlin; at the convention, it reiterated its offer for privileged partnership for sustained cooperation.
It is being reported from the backstage that the EU Christian Democrats, led by the CDU, are preparing a declaration against Turkey and that the declaration will be announced before the elections. The CDU is eager to shut the doors to Turkey's membership in the EU, force it to take the privileged partnership offer, draft an action plan that will outline the next 20 years of the EU and close the enlargement process after admitting Croatia. It seems that 2009 will be an important year for Turkey's European policy as well as for the future of Nabucco.
