For years, Europeans have been arguing that the key to their energy security is diversifying supply. As a result, many EU member-states have advocated long and hard for the construction of alternative pipelines that would not be owned or supplied by Russia. The NABUCCO pipeline was destined to be one such pipeline, which would carry Central Asian gas (and maybe Middle Eastern too) directly to Europe. After the latest Ukrainian-Russian gas crisis, the pressure to secure this energy independence seemed to grow even more considerable.
Despite all of these strategic concerns and, I don't know, the underlying premise of the entire NABUCCO project, French Member of the European Parliament Anne Laperrouze recently proposed that Russia be invited to take part. She suggested that the project would have more chance of success if Russia became involved. Well...yes, I'm sure Russian opposition and rival projects would fade away if they were given precisely what they wanted, continued dominance over the European energy market... but isn't that totally beside the point?!?! Why don't we just not have the NABUCCO project at all while we're at it? Get with it France.
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