Look at Gas, Not Just Missiles

Edward Lucas of the Economist has some suggestions for Europe to lessen its dependence on Russian natural gas. 1) They should push for more non-Russian pipelines like Nabucco, 2) drive a harder bargain on the gas that it does buy, and 3) start treating Gazprom like a normal company (like Microsoft) and insist on more liberalisation and transparency. He writes: “The intricate economics of the gas business may seem less exciting than the Star Wars technology of missile defence. But for Europe’s unity and security, they matter more.” For more ideas about how Europe can ease dependency, please read our prescription paper.