Publication

This paper strives to address a recurrent dilemma in EU foreign policy: the perceived necessity to renounce European values in pursuit of the EU’s interests when dealing with authoritarian energy-rich states. By examining EU-Turkmen relations in the context of the proposed Trans-Caspian pipeline, this paper will maintain that the EU can combine values with interests provided it lowers expectations to a level that matches its true capabilities. Since the EU lacks the necessary leverage to impose conditionality, it must adopt a more subtle approach based on the inclusion of normative provisions into its sectoral policies and notably its trade relations.