ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the transformation of the European politics of pipelines by analysing the main developments occurring along the East-West, South-North and South-East corridors. It illustrates the parallel origins and development of the European gas market and external import infrastructure system. The chapter highlights the first breaches into this original model and the main factors of transformation affecting it's ideational, institutional and market fundamentals, placing particular attention on the development of the Internal Energy Market (IEM) and European Union (EU) energy security policies. It also considers the East-West corridor, the division between 'old' and 'new' member states and the recent events and political dynamics triggered by the War in Eastern Ukraine and the Russian annexation of the Crimea. The innovations of the Third Energy Package and the enhanced regulatory powers of the European Commission consolidated the overarching EU institutional framework for security of gas supply.
