/ Russia’s Influence in European Energy Policy: An Empirical Study

Could Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 be prevented? Most probably even after years of research to come we will never have a satisfying answer to this question. What we however could say already today is that Russia’s efforts to influence European political, economical and social life has been often overlooked and underestimated by European policymakers. Given the increasingly hostile rhetoric and actions of Russia’s officials this influence could become at least a disruptive factor if not even a threat for the whole of Europe. The present work aims to uncover and to systematically analyze this influence using empirical evidence gathered across a period of the last 20 years. The political, social and economic relations between Russia and Europe played and still play (arguably today more than ever) an important role for both European and Russian societies. These relations are so profound and versatile, that no single study can hope to analyze them altogether with a sufficient depth. In the present thesis an attempt will be made to focus on one aspect of these relations, namely on Russian influence in European Union decision making. Certainly, one should start with the question whether this influence even exists. Can we prove its existence? Answering this question in a scientific manner is the main objective of the present thesis.