The African gas supply, through the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project, would strengthen European energy independence, a necessary prerequisite for its strategic autonomy, says Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), Jamal Machrouh.
In a policy brief under the theme “Why does Europe have a strategic interest in the construction of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline?” “, the author puts forward six arguments to found the existence and relevance of such an interest, noting, first of all, that the project would contribute effectively to the diversification of the gas resources of European countries and would give them more room for maneuver.
“The visualization of the map of gas pipelines in Europe highlights an excessive concentration of supply sources…In total, no less than 50% of the gas consumed in the countries of the European Union (EU) comes from the same source of supply. ‘supply. This would naturally constitute a dangerous geopolitical weapon likely to be used once morest Europe,” underlines the specialist in geopolitical and international relations issues.
In this regard, he stressed the importance for Europe of working for a greater diversification of its gas imports, noting that African gas resources are significant and the potential of on-shore and offshore reserves is promising.
In addition, the assistant professor at the Faculty of Governance, Economics and Social Sciences of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, and professor of international relations at the National School of Commerce and Management of Kenitra, underlines that the establishment of the gas pipeline would contribute to building a new generation of measures which would help to curb the asymmetric threats from which Europe suffers.
Likewise, the project, adds the specialist, will reduce the risk of replacing European dependence on Russian gas with dependence on unconventional energy sources with dangerous climatic consequences and will also prevent the emergence of a strong European gas dependence. towards Algeria.
“The reorganization of the European energy market should be done on solid and lasting foundations. Above all, such a reorganization should not reproduce the same patterns of the past which revealed their discomfiture”, underlines, in this sense, Jamal Machrouh, adding that the risk of the use of the gas weapon by the Algerian regime should not be discarded.
In this sense, he recalled two decisions taken by Algeria which demonstrate the use by Algiers of gas as a geopolitical weapon, (closure of the Maghreb/Europe gas pipeline at the end of 2021 and the reduction of the quantities of gas delivered to Spain in 2022), also emphasizing the insecurity factor that marks the area of the passage of the Gas Pipeline proposed by Algeria.
As for the last two strategic gains for Europe, the expert believes that the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project would give Europe the opportunity to rebalance its strategic movement from an unproductive horizontal pattern to borrow a vertical scheme, a real multiplier of its power and would stimulate a positive dynamic in the process of economic integration in the West African region which would, in turn, constitute a vast useful consumer market for the European economies.
Launched in 2016 in Abuja, Nigeria, under the presidency of King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, the project entered a new and advanced phase, with the signing, on September 15, of a Memorandum of agreement between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco.
The project aims to transport gas resources from Nigeria to Morocco through eleven West African countries, and the connection with the Maghreb Europe Gas Pipeline which crosses the Mediterranean with, ultimately, the interconnection with the European energy network.
