14. 12. 2023

This episode of The IR thinker explores the intersection of international relations theory and energy policy with Dr Marco Siddi, addressing realist, liberal and constructivist approaches to energy, the idea of energy as a “weapon”, and the evolving geopolitics of the EU’s green transition. The conversation examines efforts to harmonise EU energy policies, instruments such as RePowerEU and joint purchasing platforms, the reconfiguration of EU–Russia energy relations after the war in Ukraine, and emerging research agendas in European energy politics.

Marco Siddi

Marco Siddi is a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs specialising in EU–Russia relations and European energy policy. He holds adjunct professorships at the University of Helsinki and Tampere University and earned his PhD from the Universities of Edinburgh and Cologne. His work covers energy and climate politics, identity politics, European security and Italy’s role in the EU, and his publications include European Energy Politics: The Green Transition and EU–Russia Energy Relations (Edward Elgar, 2023) and European Identities and Foreign Policy Discourses on Russia (Routledge, 2020).

Content

00:00 - Introduction
02:11 - Realist Perspective in Energy Policy
04:30 - Concept of ‘Energy Weapon’
05:27 - Realists vs. Liberal Logic in Energy Policy
07:20 - Constructivist Scholarship
09:55 - Geopolitics of Energy
11:35 - Energy Transition
14:07 - Harmonizing EU Energy Policies
17:01 - Relevance of EU Ministry of Energy
18:34 - EU Regulations and Green Transition Progress
21:43 - EU Energy Bloc Purchasing Platforms
24:12 - RePowerEU Concept in Dr. Siddi’s Book
26:33 - EU-Gazprom Contracts
29:02 - EU-Russia Energy Relations
31:42 - EU Green Deal Post-Ukraine War
34:44 - Research Methods and Energy Policy Approach
36:57 - Gathering Information on Russia
39:55 - Dr. Siddi’s New Research Ideas