ABSTRACT
EU interests in Georgia are primarily driven by the geostrategic position of the South Caucasus coupled with its proximity to the Union. The importance of the Caucasus is given by its location as transit hub for Azeri and Central Asian oil and gas. Caspian energy is viewed as essential to reducing Europe’s dependence on Russian and Middle Eastern supplies (Commission 1997). The Baku-Supsa pipeline transporting oil across theBlackSea (operational in 1999), followedby the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and its sister Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline (operational in 2006) have been strategic priorities for the Union.1 Georgia lies at the centre of these interlocking energy routes. Developments in the SouthCaucasus are also important because of the region’s proximity to the Union, particularly in view of enlargements to Romania and Bulgaria, and to Turkey in future. The Caucasus is thus set to become a direct EU neighbour. As such instability, violence and organized crime in the region risk having dangerous spillover effects into the EU.
