B&H and Serbia would be hit the hardest if there is an interruption or reduction of the Russian gas supply due to the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, according to the latest study by the Institute for Energy of the University of Oxford.
Research was conducted by the Institute’s experts due to the fear that Russia, because of the Ukrainian crisis, could deny the flow of this energy source to Europe. It was concluded that most European countries are relatively safe and that, if there is a new “gas crisis”, there are stocks and other sources which, for a certain period, could satisfy the needs.
However, as stated in the Oxford study the crisis of 2009, when gas supply was reduced and interrupted because of the Ukrainian debt, affected most severely the region of the Western Balkans because of the lack of an alternative source of gas.
The research indicates that B&H and Serbia are relatively small consumers in relation to other countries in Europe, and that their position and vulnerability would not have any significance in the possible “gas war”.
