Paper title:
 The Current Oil and Natural Gas Policy of the EU and the PRC Toward the GCC States
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4316/CC.2024.01.10
Published in:
Issue 1 (Vol. 30) / 2024
Publishing date:
2024-07-31
Pages:
207 - 228
Author(s):
Nаtalia Konopka, Taras Strykhotskyi
Abstract:
 The authors explore the doctrinal roots of the European Union’s (EU’s) and People’s Republic of China (PRC’s) policies toward the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) monar-chies in the oil and natural gas fields in the changing security environment. To this end, the authors analyse international treaties and other types of documentation, scientific papers and statistical data. The article describes successes and failures and compares the EU’s and the PRC’s approaches toward the GCC on the bilateral and multilateral levels in the energy sector due to the detailed analysis of cornerstone documentation.
This research article provides a thorough overview of the processes of forming the legal framework in the EU and the PRC toward the GCC. It characterizes the evolu-tion of the Middle East policy of the EU and the PRC and reflects on the geopolitical factor in international relations. The authors outline the obstacles in developing inter-national dialogue between the countries, with an accompanying mention of the steps that could not be implemented during cooperation, while being declared within the official agreements. Finally, the attention is drawn to the Russian factor and the influ-ence of the Russian-Ukrainian war in the context of this issue.
The authors claim that a free trade area would refresh and deepen relations be-tween the EU and the GCC. It is noted that relations between the PRC and the GCC are developing more intensively with mutual benefit for both parties. The EU and the PRC are interested in signing an FTA with the GCC, and this step will allow them to form strategic partnership mechanisms in the current security situation.
Keywords:
 EU, PRC, FTA, GCC, free trade area (FTA), agreement, security threats, oil and gas energy sector




References:
1. A Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign And Security Policy, in https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/docs/top_stories/pdf/eugs_review_web.pdf.
2. Agata Antkiewicz and Bessma Momani, Pursuing geopolitical stability through interregional trade: The EU’s motives for negotiating with the Gulf Coopera-tion Council, Journal of European Integration, pp. 217- 235.
3. Anaam Hashmi, Fahad Al-Eatani, Fareed Shaikh, Is There A Need For A Free Trade Agreement Between The European Union And Gulf Cooperation Council?, in “International Business & Economics Research Journal”, 2014, Vol. 13. p. 113-120.
4. Andrew Scobell, Alireza Nader, China in the Middle East. The Wary Drag-on, in RAND, 2016, p. 7-19, in https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1229.html.
5. bp Statistical Review of World Energy 2022 in “British Petroleum” 2022 in https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2022-full-report.pdf.
6. China-GCC Oil Trade Statistics in “Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs”, 2024, in https://resourcetrade.earth/.
7. China eyes early completion of talks on free trade deal with Gulf countries amid growing ties, in https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202308/1295709.shtml.
8. China’s Arab Policy Paper, in http://english.www.gov.cn/archive/publications/2016/ 01/13/content_281475271412746.htm.
9. China’s Energy Policy, in https://policy.asiapacificenergy.org/sites/default/files/ White%20Paper-%20China%27s%20Energy%20Policy%202012%20%28EN%29.pdf.
10. Cinzia Bianco, The EU’S Strategic Partnership with the Gulf: one year on, in Brussels International Center, in https://www.bic-rhr.com/research/eus-strategic-partnership-gulf-one-year.
11. Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Par-liament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Global Europe: Competing in the world. A Contribution to the EU’s Growth and Jobs Strategy, in https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52006DC0567.
12. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Eu-ropean Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. REPowerEU Plan, in https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52022DC0230.
13. Crude oil imports and prices: changes in 2022, in “Eurostat. News Arti-cles”, 2023, in https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/DDN-20230328-1.
14. Crude oil prices increased in first-half 2022 and declined in second-half 2022, in https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=55079.
15. Crude oil imports and prices: changes in 2022, in “Eurostat. News Arti-cles”, 2023, in https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/DDN-20230328-1
16. Crude oil – proved reserves in “CIA World Factbook” 2021 in https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/field/crude-oil-proved-reserves/country-comparison.
17. Debra Johnson, EU-Russian energy policy – single or multiple policy para-digms?, in “Energy & Environment”, 2004, Vol. 15, no. 3, p.451-468.
18. Energy in China’s New Era, in https://english.www.gov.cn/archive/whitepaper/202012/21/ content_WS5fe0572bc6d0f725769423cb.html.
19. EU Energy Deals Tracker, in https://ecfr.eu/special/energy-deals-tracker/.
20. EU–GCC Cooperation Agreement, in https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/tradoc_140300.pdf.
21. European Union, Trade in goods with GCC, in https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/isdb_results/factsheets/region/details_gcc-6_en.pdf
22. European Security Strategy. A Secure Europe in a better world. in https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/30823/qc7809568enc.pdf.
23. European Union, Trade in goods with GCC, in https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/isdb_results/factsheets/region/details_gcc-6_en.pdf.
24. Giacomo Luciani, Euro-Arab Cooperation and Conflict in the Areas of Oil and Gas, Ithaca Press, 1995, pp. 65-87
25. Imports of oil and petroleum products by partner country in “Eurostat”, 2024 in https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ nrg_ti_oil__custom_12043542/default/table?lang=en.
26. Jacopo Maria Pepe, Geopolitics and Energy Security in Europe. How do we move forward?, 2022, in https://justclimate.fes.de/fileadmin/user_upload/images/publications/FES_Just_Climate_Study_19012023_Geopolitics_and_
Energy_Security_in_Europe.pdf.
27. James Dorsey, China and the Middle East: Venturing into the Maelstrom, in Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, 2017, Vol. 11, no. 1, in: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/ 10.1080/25765949.2017.12023322?needAccess=true&role=button.
28. James Dorsey, China and the Middle East: Venturing into the Maelstrom, in Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, 2017, Vol. 11, no. 1, in: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/25765949.2017.12023322?needAccess=true&role=button.
29. Jim Rollo, Prospects for an EU–Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Area. The World’s First Region-to-Region FTA?, in Chatham House, 2008, https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/ Research/International%20Economics/bp0408ftagcc.pdf.
30. Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council. A Stra-tegic Partnership with the Gulf, in https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52022JC0013.
31. Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the Euro-pean Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions “EU exter-nal energy engagement in a changing world”, in https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52022JC0023.
32. Jonathan Fulton. China's Relations with the Gulf Monarchies, New York, Routledge, 2019, 205 p.
33. Joseph Webster and Jose Pelayo, China is getting comfortable with the Gulf Cooperation Council. The West must pragmatically adapt to its growing re-gional influence, in “Atlantic Council”, 2023 in https://www.
atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/china-is-getting-comfortable-with-the-gulf-cooperation-council-the-west-must-pragmatically-adapt-to-its-growing-regional-influence/.
34. Lennie Kaplan, Mark Milke, EU Natural Gas Imports: €286 Billion Import-ed from Tyrannies and Autocracies Since 2005. For the past 15 years Russia has been the largest source of natural gas for European Union nations, in “Canadian Energy Centre”, 2021, in https://www.canadianenergycentre.ca/eu-natural-gas-imports-e286-billion-imported-from-tyrannies-and-autocracies-since-2005/.
35. Nan Zhong, China, GCC member economies keen to step up free trade talks, in “China Daily”, 2023, in https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/ a/202310/26/WS6539cd54a31090682a5ead84.html.
36. Nikos Roussanoglou, Tankers: China is Now the Biggest Oil Importer in the World, in “Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide”, 2023 in https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/tankers-china-is-now-the-biggest-oil-importer-in-the-world/.
37. Nivien Saleh, The European Union and the Gulf States: A Growing Partner-ship, in “Middle East Policy”, 1999, vol. 7, p. 52-56.
38. Robert Mason, The European Union’s “Strategic Partnership With the Gulf”: Half-Speed Ahead, in “Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW)”, 202, https://agsiw.org/the-european-unions-strategic- partnership-with-the-gulf-half-speed-ahead/.
39. Rym Ayadi, Salim Gadi, Trade and Investment Cooperation between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council: Current trends and prospects, in “Sharaka Com-mentaries”, 2012, no. 3, December, p. 2.
40. Timo Behr and Saskia van Genugten, Can a new EU strategy bring EU and Gulf actors closer together?, in “Middle East Institute”, 2022, in https://www.mei.edu/publications/can-new-eu-strategy-bring-eu-and-gulf-actors-closer-together.
41. Training methods in the context of hybrid threats (2023), edited by E. Bal-ashov, M. Bilokon, T. Borozentseva et al. Kharkiv: TOV “Tekhnolohichnyi Tsentr Group”. https://doi.org/10.62067/978-617-8242-02-2.
42. Xuming Qian, Jonathan Fulton, China-Gulf Economic Relationship under the “Belt and Road” Initiative, in “Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies” 2017, in https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/25765949.2017.12023306.