Abstract
The chapter compares the securitisation of transnational energy infrastructures in Germany and Poland through the example of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. The pipeline allows for direct natural gas deliveries from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea—bypassing the traditional transit countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Poland among them. Thus, its construction is one of the most controversial energy issues in German-Polish relations. Scrutinising the national debates about the Nord Stream pipeline, Heinrich examines the kind of security debates that have occurred, what risk/threat perceptions exist, and the nature of the counter-measures that have been proposed in Poland and Germany.
This publication has been prepared as part of the research project, ‘Towards a common European energy policy? Energy security debates in Poland and Germany’, which has been financially supported by the German-Polish Science Foundation.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Agnieszka Cyfka, Philip Fritz, Barbara Holli, Katharina Remshardt, and Agnieszka Strzemeska for their assistance with research, and the translation of Polish texts and documents. Also, I would like to thank Marco Siddi and Kacper Szulecki for their helpful comments.
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Notes
- 1.
Cf. for example, ‘Poland recalls Hitler-Stalin pact amid fears over pipeline’, The Guardian, 1 May 2006, available at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/may/01/eu.poland. For a clarification by the Polish Ministry of Defence see: Paszkowski, Piotr (2006) Minister Sikorski o współpracy w dziedzinie energetyki, Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 30 April, available at http://www.mon.gov.pl/artykul_wiecej.php?idartykul=1696. Speaking of a misinterpretation, the press release states: ‘The minister did not place the Ribbentrop-Molo tov pact and the pipeline agreement on the same level. He referred to painful historical events to explain Poles’ sensitivity to agreements made without their knowledge. He used the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact to picture emotions raised by the construction of the pipeline’ (all translations by the author unless stated otherwise).
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
For a detailed description of the media selection and the operationalisation of the research project see ‘Documentation of data collection’, available at: http://www.forschungsstelle.uni-bremen.de/UserFiles/file/04-Forschung/documentation_data-collection.pdf.
- 5.
This chapter scrutinises only the theoretical aspects of the Nord Stream debate. For a detailed analysis of the arguments for or against the Nord Stream pipeline in Poland and Germany (which includes a larger number of documents, as it is not based on securitisation theo ry), see Heinrich and Pleines 2017.
- 6.
Szejnf eld, Adam Stanisław (2004) Interpelacja nr 6806 do prezesa Rady Ministrów w sprawie zwiększenia polskiego bezpieczeństwa w zakresie dostaw gazu dla ludności i gospodarki, 28 February, available at http://www.sejm.gov.pl/sejm7.nsf/stenogramy.xsp.
- 7.
Jagiełło, J arosław (2008) Interpelacja nr 4634 do ministra spraw zagranicznych w sprawie budowy gazociągu północnego, in: Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, Kadencja VI: Aneksu do Sprawozdania Stenograficznego z 21. posiedzenia Sejmu w dniach 2, 3, 4 i 5 września 2008 r [2.-5.9.2008], pp. 208–209.
- 8.
Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (2005) Kadencja IV: Sprawozdanie Stenograficzne z 107. posiedzenia Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w dniu 7 lipca 2005 r [7.7.2005]. Informacja bieżąca, pp. 364–381, here p. 371.
- 9.
Sonik , Bogusław (2005) Opinie: Gazowy szantaż, Rzeczpospolita, 2 July, obtained via Factiva, Document RZEPOL0020050702e1720000f.
- 10.
Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (2007) Kadencja VI: Sprawozdanie Stenograficzne z 4. posiedzenia Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w dniu 19 grudnia 2007 r [19.12.2007]. Punkt 10. porządku dziennego: Pytania w sprawach bieżących, pp. 162–182, here pp. 166–167.
- 11.
Hoc, C zesław/Bru dziński, Joachim (2008) Interpellation nr 826 do ministra gospodarki w sprawie budowy gazociągu północnego po dnie Bałtyku (koncernu Nord Stream AG) , in Sejm Rzeczyp ospolitej Polskiej, Kadencja VI: Aneksu do Sprawozdania Stenograficznego z 8. posiedzenia Sejmu w dniach 6, 7 i 8 lutego 2008 r. [6.-8.2.2008].
- 12.
‘Pogoda dla gazociągu’, Polityka, No. 37 (2722), 12 September 2009, p. 11, available at: http://archiwum.polityka.pl/wydanie/0,19680.htm.
- 13.
Dębski, Sł awomir (2007) Z Rosją – bez pośpiechu, Gazeta Wyborcza, 17 January, available at: http://wyborcza.pl/1,76842,3854024.html.
- 14.
Only documents that fall into the categories of ‘riskification’ and securitisation are analysed, as per the definition, the category ‘security jargon’ proposes no counter-measures (the total number of documents from the Se jm is 51, and from the Polish media reporting, it is 71).
- 15.
Deutscher Bundestag (2009) Stenografischer Bericht, 230. Sitzung, Plpr-Nr. 16/230, 2 July, pp. 25699–25700.
- 16.
Deutscher Bundestag (2007) Antrag der Abgeordneten Gudrun Kopp,[…]und der Fraktion der FDP—‘Energieaußenpolitik für das 21. Jahrhundert’, Drucksache 16/6796, 24 October.
- 17.
Deutscher Bundestag (2007) Stenografischer Bericht, 109. Sitzung, Plpr-Nr. 16/109, 6 July, pp. 11333–11334.
- 18.
Deutscher Bundestag (2008) Stenografischer Bericht, 160. Sitzung, 8 May, p. 16968.
- 19.
Deutscher Bundestag (2007) Entschließungsantrag der Abgeordneten Marieluise Beck (Bremen)[…]weiterer Abgeordneter und der Fraktion BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN und deren Antwort (Drucksachen 16/4932, 16/6241)—‘Aktuelle Entwicklungen in Russland und ihre Auswirkung auf die Beziehungen zwischen der EU und Russland’, Drucksache 16/7186, 14 November.
- 20.
The Copenhagen School understands d e-securitisation as moving an issue ‘out of emergency mode and into the normal bargaining process of the political sphere’ (Buzan et al. 1998: 4, see also p. 29). De-securitisation means to turn threats into challenges and security into politics again (Wæver 1995: 55, 60).
- 21.
However, these counter-measures are envisaged only in the case of an accident causing environmental damage; they do not mitigate other risks /threats or try to prevent the construction of the Nord Stream pipeline (I thank Marco Siddi for his comment).
- 22.
Herrmann, Gunnar (2010) Ostsee-Pipeline genehmigt: Finnland macht Weg endgültig frei für Bau der Gas-Röhre, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 13 February, obtained via Factiva, Document SDDZ000020100213e62d0000y.
- 23.
Wittrock, Philipp (2008) Energiekonferenz des Umweltministers: Schröder singt Jubelarien auf Russland, Spiegel Online, 25 September, obtained via Factiva, Document SPGLO00020080925e49p0006c.
- 24.
Only documents that fall into the categories of ‘riskification’ and securitisation are analysed; as per the definition, the category ‘security jargon’ proposes no counter-measures (the total number of documents from the Bund estag is 21, and, from the German media reporting, it is 48).
- 25.
Only documents that fall into the categories of ‘riskification’ and securitisation are analysed; as per the definition, the category ‘security jargon’ proposes no counter-measures.
- 26.
Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (2005) Kadencja IV: Sprawozdanie Stenograficzne z 5. posiedzenia Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w dniu 16 grudnia 2005 r. [16.12.2005]. Punkt 25. porządku dziennego: Informacja w sprawie planu legislacyjnego Komisji Europejskiej na 2006 rok (druk nr 120), pp. 253–280, here pp. 262–264.
- 27.
Fischer, Manfred/Wetzel, Daniel/Müller, Peter (2006) Europa hängt an der Pipeline: Auf dem Gipfeltreffen der Industriestaaten (G-8) in St. Petersburg steht die Energieversorgung Europas ganz oben auf der Tagesordnung. Doch die Gegensätze sind zu groß für einen Erfolg, Welt am Sonntag, 16 July, obtained via Factiva, Document WSONNT0020060717e27g00053.
- 28.
Deutscher Bundestag (2007) Stenografischer Bericht, 109. Sitzung, Plpr-Nr. 16/109, 6 July, pp. 11333–11334.
- 29.
- 30.
Sejm R zeczypospolitej Polskiej (2005) Kadencja IV: Sprawozdanie Stenograficzne z 107 posiedzenia Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w dniu 7 lipca 2005 r [7.7.2005]. Informacja bieżąca, pp. 364–381, here p. 371.
- 31.
Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (2011) Kadencja VII: Sprawozdanie Stenograficzne z 1. posiedzenia Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w dniu 18 listopada 2011 r [18.11.2011]. Punkt 10. porządku dziennego: Przedstawienie przez Prezesa Rady Ministrów programu działania Rady Ministrów z wnioskiem o udzielenie jej wotum zaufania, pp. 57–152, here p. 121.
- 32.
Wiśniewska, J adwiga (2012) Interpelacja nr 10803 do prezesa Rady Ministrów w sprawie konsekwencji budowy Gazociągu Północnego Nord Stream, 22 October, available at: http://www.sejm.gov.pl/sejm7.nsf/InterpelacjaTresc.xsp?key=26DA7771.
- 33.
Wielowieyska, Dominika (2009) Gaz dzieli polityków, Gazeta Wyborcza, 8 January, available at: http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/Wiadomosci/1,80353,6130767.html.
- 34.
Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (2011) Kadencja VI: Sprawozdanie Stenograficzne z 87. posiedzenia Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w dniu 16 marca 2011 r [16.3.2011]. Punkt 2. porządku dziennego: Informacja ministra spraw zagranicznych o założeniach polskiej polityki zagranicznej w 2011 roku, pp. 3–70, here p. 66.
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Heinrich, A. (2018). Securitisation in the Gas Sector: Energy Security Debates Concerning the Example of the Nord Stream Pipeline. In: Szulecki, K. (eds) Energy Security in Europe. Energy, Climate and the Environment. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64964-1_3
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