Can East Med gas and Greece help break Europe’s dependency on Russia?

Europe faces unprecedented challenges in the wake of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, with the continent’s reliance on Russian energy in the spotlight. As a result, the EU is on a mission to cut Russian gas use and find alternative sources of energy to meet its needs.

This is inevitably turning attention back to the Eastern Mediterranean and the EastMed Gas Pipeline, despite the US non-paper pulling support for the pipeline. Dr Yannis Maniatis joins our host Thanos Davelis to explain why now is the time to re-evaluate the role that energy from the Eastern Mediterranean – with a focus on the EastMed gas pipeline – can play in breaking Europe’s dependence on Russia. We also look at what this means for Greece, which is poised to play a central role in bringing Eastern Mediterranean gas to Europe. 

Maniatis is an Associate Professor at the University of Piraeus. He previously served as Greece’s Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change from 2013-2015.