On April 23, according to The Guardian, the European Union (EU) expressed concern about a gas pipeline project in the Balkans because it is related to people close to US President Donald Trump.
The gas pipeline project, called "Southern Interconnection", is expected to pass through Bosnia and Herzegovina - two countries located in the center of the Balkan peninsula. The goal of this pipeline is to help Bosnia have more gas from outside, instead of completely relying on Russian gas, by connecting to a liquefied gas station off the coast of Croatia.
The company proposed to receive the contract is AAFS Infrastructure and Energy, a newly established enterprise at the end of 2025 and whose ownership has not been clearly announced. The company's representatives are Joe Flynn and Jesse Binnall, both related to Mr. Trump; in which, Jesse Binnall was a lawyer who participated in his 2020 election campaign.
Although not having much experience in large projects, this company said it will invest about 1.5 billion USD in pipelines and other infrastructure projects in Bosnia.
Last March, the Bosnian Parliament passed a law allowing the project to be directly assigned to AAFS without bidding. Transparency International warned that this could set an untransparent precedent.
Immediately after that, the EU representative in Bosnia, Luigi Soreca, sent a warning letter to the country's leaders. He said that Bosnia needs to coordinate with the EU in developing energy-related laws. Otherwise, the country's EU accession process could be affected.
AAFS responded that the project will help Bosnia increase energy security and promote economic development. The company also said it is ready to cooperate with relevant agencies.
Currently, Bosnia is almost completely dependent on gas from Russia. After Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military campaign in Ukraine in 2022, the EU set a goal to gradually reduce the use of Russian gas before 2028.
However, the EU is concerned that if this project is controlled by a company with strong political ties with the US, it could affect the energy balance in the region.
In addition, some other figures related to President Trump such as Michael Flynn and Donald Trump Jr. also had activities in Bosnia, making the project even more attention-grabbing.
