ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT IN TURKISH-BULGARIAN RELATIONS

Daniela Pastarmadzhieva, PhD Assistant professor /University of Plovdiv Paisii Hilendarski

Halil Burak Sakal Assistant professor /Cappadocia University

Abstract: This paper focuses on the changing role of energy and environment in the relations between Turkey and Bulgaria since the second half of the 2010s. The energy ties between the two countries strengthened since then after reaching at least two important milestones. The first is the Turk Stream natural gas pipeline and the second is the synchronous integration of Turkey’s electricity grid to the EU power transmission network. These two important developments necessitated Turkey’s energy laws to be in harmony with the EU regulations. On the other hand, Turkey’s environmental policies are not in total harmony with the EU policies and rules. According to the Turkey 2020 Report of the European Commission, Turkey’s alignment to the EU Water Framework Directive is not complete and transboundary consultations on water issues were still at an early stage. This conference paper compares the three aspects of Turkey’s energy and environment relations with Bulgaria, i.e., natural gas trade, electricity trade, transboundary rivers. The paper investigates the perceptions and opinions of the people, politicians, media, civil society, and political parties about energy trade and transboundary water issues, and focuses on the key laws, regulations, documents, and reports of the energy and environment regulators. The paper argues that the high level of integration in the sphere of energy trade (natural gas and electricity) will have spillover impacts on Turkey’s relations with Bulgaria in the environmental sphere during the process of Turkey’s EU accession.

Keywords: Energy policy, Environmental policy, Natural gas trade, Electricity trade, Transboundary rivers