Natural gas market integration in the Visegrad 4 region: An example to follow or to avoid?

In this article, we focus on the ongoing project of natural gas market integration in the Visegrad 4 region. Employing discourse-network analysis - a novel methodological framework that combines stakeholder analysis with frame analysis, we map and evaluate the individual stakeholders' positions towards the project. The results show a substantial lack of shared understanding of what does such integration actually mean, how to implement it, how to recognize that it has been achieved, and how to relate it to integration that takes place at the European level. We conclude by identifying structural problems that prevent the regional integration from emerging and putting them in perspective of the common European gas market project.