Energy Policies and Provisions In The Baltic Sea States

The Baltic Sea nations have had a long history of energy dependence on Russian gas and oil. Although some nations, such as Sweden, Russia and Norway, have headed towards a self-sufficient energy policy; other nations, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland are still heavily dependent on Russia for their energy needs.

It becomes increasingly apparent as to why Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have had such a hard time becoming independent from Russia when one peers into the history of the Soviet reign. Because these nations were annexed by Russia after the end of World War II (WWII), they only became independent nations after the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. With such little time to emancipate themselves from the Russian-imposed political shackles, these Baltic Sea nations have yet to devise a comprehensive energy policy that steers away from Russian fossil fuels.

In recent years, the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have begun to to emulate their Baltic neighbors in the European Union (EU). Norway and Sweden have invested in alternative forms of energy that have served to reduce their overall carbon-footprint on the world. The ex-satellite nations have a lot to learn from their environmentally conscientious neighbors in the realm of energy provisions.

In the past couple of years, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have ascribed to many of the provisions laid-out by their Baltic Sea neighbors, including augmenting the competitiveness of their domestic energy markets, securing and diversifying their sources of energy, and steering towards renewable energy sources.

For example, Latvia has set a precedence for the other two ex-satellite nations to follow. They have started to set very ambitious  objectives for attaining sources of renewable and sustainable energy in the near future. Their ambition is commendable, because they are showing fervent initiative to break away from the dark era of communism.

Lithuania, on the other hand, will become the first Baltic Sea state to serve as the President of the EU in 2013. Being held in such high esteem, Lithuania will have to set a number of precedents on European energy policies in years to come. Lithuania is expected to consolidate the EU's energy infrastructure, while also working to strengthen the common energy policy goals between all of the EU nations.

Lithuania will also be working to tie together a number of pioneering energy projects that will jointly effect all eight EU nations that border the Baltic Sea. The plan is to implement a variety of policies that subserve more accessible, secure and efficient energy markets. Hopefully, Lithuania will be successful in jointly benefiting every Baltic Sea state in the future.

Before any of the aforementioned objectives can be attained, the ex-satellite Baltic Sea states must first work to liberate themselves from their Russian constraints. It may be a long and arduous project, but at their current rate, they should be able to significantly decrease their energy dependence on Russia in the near future. In the end, they still have a way to go before they finally reach a self-sustaining energy infrastructure.