The Southern Gas Interconnection Project between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia reflects all structural and political weaknesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said Professor Hazim Bašić, PhD, as an introductory speaker at today’s regular weekly session of the Intellectuals Association “Krug 99” in Sarajevo. The topic of the session was “European Energy Sovereignty and Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
The Southern Gas Interconnection is not just an infrastructural project, but a concrete test of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s ability to act as a sovereign state, Bašić said.
“The turn of the events related to this project moves from the institutional framework into the sphere of parallel political-lobbyist and business arrangements. There is a danger of privatizing the strategic energy infrastructure before it is established. The future of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s energy sector is being built through an informal influence network. Control over gas flows can become an instrument of political power concentrated within the narrow circle of actors. This investment could lead the country away from Russian energy dependence and into the hands of a dubious private monopoly,” Bašić said.
According to him, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other non-EU member states are easy targets for the MAGA movement “because companies close to the Trump administration do not have to comply with EU rules; instead, through agreements with local politicians, they can achieve their interests more easily.
A message was sent from Brussels that all laws adopted in Bosnia and Herzegovina must undergo consultations with the EU. Therefore, in this context, BiH’s EU integration is not aligned with MAGA business interests, he emphasized.
President of the Abraham Group, A. Kabiri, claimed that his company, Aluminij Industries, will become the lead US gas importer to Bosnia and Herzegovina. His company has already signed a memorandum in the US for the supply of American LNG at 1 bcm per year (a hub in Albania). Of this, 0.5 bcm annually will go to the Abraham Group as of 2030. This is a blow to the sovereignty of a country that still lacks a gas law, a developed pipeline network, and a clear vision for its energy future. Aluminij Industries has therefore already leased one-third of the future pipeline’s capacity, twice the current gas consumption in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bašić also pointed out.
LNG is more expensive than pipeline gas. The LNG capacities on Krk have been leased for the next 13 years! The terminal holds 3.5 bcm, and several countries interested in procuring this gas are waiting for a public call from Plincaro to book capacities. Entering the gas purchase auction requires significant deposits.
“Before signing the interstate agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia requested that our country commit to purchasing 1.5 bcm annually (which is around 40 % of the total capacity of the Krk terminal!). If Bosnia and Herzegovina is unable to order the quantity of gas required by Croatia, an amount six times higher than our current consumption, one of the alternatives is for the gas to be procured through Aluminij Industries,” said the keynote speaker at today’s “Krug 99” session.
He questions who will essentially control the energy sovereignty of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina if private capital secures the energy source in advance, while public institutions merely provide the infrastructure and regulatory framework.
Without its own strategy and institutional response, Bosnia and Herzegovina risks leaving a key segment of its energy security to parallel power structures, he concluded.
“When it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the contours of a ‘new order’ are already reflecting in the energy domain: Western LNG for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Eastern, Russian gas for Republika Srpska. The state is nowhere to be seen, even though there is a constitutional basis for public corporations of this type to be established at the state level,” Bašić said.
Diversification of energy sources must not be an excuse for non-transparent arrangements and projects that are not aligned with EU energy strategies. Bosnia and Herzegovina does not need a pipeline at all costs, especially not at the cost of losing control over its own energy sovereignty.
If Bosnia and Herzegovina wants an EU energy future, decisions on strategic infrastructure projects must be aligned with the long-term transition. Otherwise, the pipeline, presented as a symbol of energy security, could become a symbol of strategic dependence and a factor slowing down EU integration, the keynote speaker concluded.
Regarding this topic, the President of “Krug 99”, Adil Kulenović, stated that Bosnia and Herzegovina lacks not just a pipeline, but a comprehensive state energy strategy.
According to Kulenović, this strategy must define steps toward reducing dependency on fossil fuels of any kind, align domestic regulations with European standards, and set long-term goals that include preparing for tomorrow’s technologies, such as fusion.
“Without such a strategy, the Southern Interconnection could turn into an expensive adventure that risks deepening political divisions and institutional fragmentation, instead of serving as a bridge toward a European future. Our task today is not merely to criticize the existing model, but to offer a vision in which energy policy serves the citizens rather than narrow interests, a vision where Bosnia and Herzegovina builds its future on foundations that are clean, just, and sustainable. For, as it was said in Brussels: ‘Energy sovereignty is a prerequisite for affordability, economic competitiveness, and security,’” Kulenović concluded.
Rejecting coal and then pushing expensive gas as a solution is not a consistent environmental policy. It is a geopolitical and economic game that leaves Bosnia and Herzegovina in the position of an eternal energy hostage – be it to Russia, the US, or someone else. Therefore, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s long-term strategy should focus on utilizing its renewable energy potential and energy efficiency, rather than building expensive fossil traps that future generations will have to pay for. This is the only path toward true independence and a healthier environment,” the President “Krug 99” concluded.
