Abstract
Chapter 4 traces the European Commission’s activities and initiatives during the EU’s efforts to liberalise its natural gas market. The observations made in this chapter suggest that when faced with opposition from a number of powerful states and during times of low incentives for new energy policies, the Commission utilises its informal powers such as usage of networked governance in order to advance policymaking. During times when member states have high incentives for new energy policies, the Commission employs its full legislative power. After the third energy package, the Commission could extend its executive reach with the help of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) by delegating policymaking to sectoral groups.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
The definition of energy as common good made energy sector susceptible to the policies of liberalisation.
- 2.
In this memorandum the Commission addresses the main problems of the Community energy policy and suggests that “this dangerous trend can only be changed by a Community energy policy which fully integrates the energy sector into the common market” (Secretariat of the Commission of the European Communities 1968: 5).
- 3.
The initial proposal is presented in European Commission (1992).
- 4.
The initial proposal is presented in European Commission (2001).
- 5.
The initial proposal is presented in European Commission (2007b).
- 6.
From the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
Bibliography
ACER. (2015a). Decision of the agency for cooperation of energy regulators No 02/2015. http://www.acer.europa.eu/Official_documents/Acts_of_the_Agency/Individual%20decisions/ACER%20Decision%2002-2015.pdf. Accessed 13 January 2016.
ACER. (2016b). Gas. http://www.acer.europa.eu/en/gas/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed September 2016.
ACER. (2015b). REMIT Annual Report 2015. http://www.acer.europa.eu/Official_documents/Acts_of_the_Agency/Publication/REMIT%20Annual%20Report%202015.pdf. Accessed January 2016.
ACER. (2016d). Framework guidelines and network codes. http://www.acer.europa.eu/electricity/fg_and_network_codes/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed January 2016.
ACER. (2016a). Members of administrative board. http://www.acer.europa.eu/The_agency/Organisation/Administrative_Board/Pages/AB-Members.aspx. Accessed January 2016.
Agence Europe. (1992, January 29). Europe documents; No 1756—Completion Of The Internal Market In Electricity And Gas (I). Agence Europe.
Agence Europe. (1996, December 5). EU/Energy. Agence Europe.
Agence Europe. (2001b, May 8). Commission to take France before court of justice for non-transposition of gas directive, Commissioner De Palacio Announces. Agence Europe.
Agence Europe. (2001a, June 7). Certain special powers (“golden share” in particular) a government gives itself during privatisation are unlawful. Agence Europe.
Brutschin, E. (2013). Dynamics in EU policy-making: The liberalization of the European gas market. Bibliothek der Universität Konstanz: Konstanz.
Brutschin, E. (2015). Shaping the EU’s energy policy agenda: The role of Eastern European countries. In J. Tosun, S. Biesenbender, & K. Schulze (Eds.), Energy policy making in the EU (pp. 187–204). London: Springer. http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4471-6645-0_10.
CEER. (2016). About the European energy regulators. http://www.ceer.eu/portal/page/portal/EER_HOME/EER_ABOUT/Tab. Accessed January 2016.
Eikeland, P.O. (2011). The third internal energy market package: New power relations among member states, EU Institutions and non-state actors? JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 49(2), 243–263.
ENTSOE. (2016). Network code overview. https://www.entsoe.eu/major-projects/network-code-development/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed January 2016.
European Commission. (2014a). Guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=URISERV:180202_1&from=EN&isLegissum=true. Accessed January 2016.
EurActiv. (2008). Regulators doubtful over EU energy agency. http://www.euractiv.com/energy/regulators-doubtful-eu-energy-ag-news-219314. Accessed September 2016.
European Court of Auditors. (2015). Improving the security of energy supply by developing the internal energy market: more efforts needed. http://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR15_16/SR_ENERGY_SECURITY-EN.pdf. Accessed Janury 2016.
Herweg, N. (2015). Explaining European agenda-setting using the multiple streams framework: The case of European natural gas regulation. Policy Sciences, 1–21. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-015-9231-z.
Iago, D. (2009c). Interview with Eurogas secretary general Jean-Marie Devos: Lack of legislative clarity worrying industry. Europolitics Energy.
Iago, D. (2009a). Interview with MEP Giles Chichester, rapporteur on ACER: “We have given the agency powers”. Europolitics Energy.
Iago, D. (2009b). Interview with Walter Boltz, chair of the Austrian energy regulatory authority: Market integration—an uphill struggle. Europolitics Energy.
Iago, D. (2011a). Energy liberalisation: Acer operational as of 3 March. In Europolitics Energy.
Jevnaker, T. (2015). Pushing administrative EU integration: The path towards European network codes for electricity. Journal of European Public Policy, 22(7), 927–947. http://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2014.1000363.
Levi-Faur, D. (2011). Regulatory networks and regulatory agencification: Towards a single European regulatory Space. Journal of European Public Policy, 18(6), 810–829. http://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2011.593309.
MacDonald, A. (2015, November 24). European watchdog eyes 45 potential cases of energy market abuse. Wall Street Journal. http://www.wsj.com/articles/european-watchdog-eyes-45-potential-cases-of-energy-market-abuse-1448285498. Accessed September 2016.
Maggetti, M. (2014). The politics of network governance in Europe: The case of energy regulation. West European Politics, 37(3), 497–514. http://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2013.814966.
Percebois, J. (1999). The gas deregulation process in Europe: economic and political approach. Energy Policy, 27(1), 9–15. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-4215(98)00041-X.
Pollack, M. A. (2003). The engines of European integration: Delegation, agency, and agenda setting in the EU. Oxford University Press.
PRISMA. (2016). PRISMA—THE CAPACITY PLATFORM. from https://corporate.prisma-capacity.eu/about-us/. Accessed January 2016.
Secretariat of the Commission of the European Communities. (1968). First guidelines for a community energy policy. http://aei.pitt.edu/5134/1/5134.pdf. Accessed September 2016.
Tsebelis, G. (1994). The power of the European parliament as a conditional agenda setter. American Political Science Review, 88(01), 128–142. http://doi.org/10.2307/2944886.
ACER. (2016c). Our vision: a competitive, secure European gas market that benefits all consumers. http://www.acer.europa.eu/en/gas/gas-target-model/pages/main.aspx. Accessed September 2016.
Commission of the European Communities. (1988). The Internal Energy Market. http://aei.pitt.edu/4037/1/4037.pdf. Accessed September 2016.
Duncan, G. (2006). Brown blames Europe for adding £ 10bn to UK gas bill. The Times.
Eberlein, B. (2008). The making of the European energy market: The interplay of Governance and Government. Journal of Public Policy, 28(1), 73–92. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0143814X08000780.
Eising, R. (2002). Policy learning in embedded negotiations: Explaining EU electricity liberalization. International Organization, 56(1), 85–120. http://doi.org/10.1162/002081802753485142.
ERGEG. (2007). Gas transmission tariffs: An ERGEG benchmarking report. http://www.energyregulators.eu/portal/page/portal/EER_HOME/EER_PUBLICATIONS/CEER_PAPERS/Gas/2007/C06-GWG-31-05_BM-Gas%20Tariffs%20Report_0.pdf. Accessed September 2016.
Europe Energy. (1992, July 31). Energy liberalisation: UK minister spells out presidency view. Europe Energy Europe Information Service No. 0384.
Europe Energy. (1993a, July 9). Internal market: European Parliament Rapporteur questions gas deregulation goal. Europe Energy. Europe Information Service No. 405.
Europe Energy. (1999, Oct 1). RWE changes strategy. Europe Energy.
Europe Energy. (2000, July 14). Energy liberalisation: European Parliament adopts resolution on deregulation of energy markets. Europe Energy.
Europe Energy. (2004). Gas Commission to take hard line on implementation of liberalisation directive. Europe Energy.
Europe Energy. (2008a). Energy council: Council reaches general approach on energy liberalisation. Europe Energy.
Europe Energy. (2008b). Gas: MEPs reject last-ditch attempt at third option. Europe Energy.
European Commission. (1992). Proposal for a Council Directive concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas. (COM(91) 548 final). http://aei.pitt.edu/13079/1/13079.pdf. Accessed September 2016.
European Commission. (2001). Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 96/92/EC and 98/30/EC concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and natural gas. COM(2001) 125 final. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/procedure/EN/2001_77. Accessed September 2016.
European Commission. (2007b). Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2003/55/EC concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas. COM(2007) 0529 final. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2007:0529:FIN. Accessed September 2016.
European Commission. (2015a). Commission staff working document accompanying the document commission delegated regulation amending Regulation No 347/2013. https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/7_2%20PCI%20CSWD.pdf. Accessed September 2016.
Fuller, T. (2002). EU agrees to open its utility markets. International Herald Tribune. http://courses.wcupa.edu/rbove/eco343/024Compecon/E_Union/021126utilities.txt. Accessed September 2016.
Global Power Report. (2007). European industry presents mixed response to EC review of competition, climate change. Global Power Report.
Gow, D., & Milner, M. (2007). EU proposals: Package aims to cut billions from household bills. The Guardian.
Harrison, M. (2005, March 4). Gas prices soar as Brussels warns EU states of court action. The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/gas-prices-soar-as-brussels-warns-eustates-of-court-action-4599.html. Accessed September 2016.
Jamasb, T., & Pollitt, M. (2008). Liberalisation and R & D in network industries: The case of the electricity industry. Research Policy, 37(6–7), 995–1008.
Jameson, A. (2005). Britain is heading for ten years of gas misery. The Times.
Kaczorowska, A. (2013). European Union Law. London: Routledge.
Knott, D. (1996). Germany to open gas distribution, supply markets to competition. Oil & Gas Journal, 94(53), 23–27.
Oil and Gas Journal. (2007). EU countries disagree over unbundling issue. Oil and Gas Journal.
Pariente-David, S., & Swanson, C.-A. (2003). Multi-Utilities: A Blessed Union? Power Economics.
Petroleum Economist. (1998, Jan 1). EU deregulation: Best traditions of compromise maintained. Petroleum Economist.
Power Economics. (2002). European fears for liberalisation mount. Power Economics.
Ruffing, E. (2015). Agencies between two worlds: information asymmetry in multilevel policy-making. Journal of European Public Policy, 22(8), 1109–1126. http://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2015.1011198
Schmidt, S. K. (2000). Only an agenda setter? The European Commission’s power over the council of ministers. European Union Politics, 1(1), 37–61. http://doi.org/10.1177/1465116500001001003.
Sylvers, E. (2005, May 14). EDF buys into Italian power market. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/14/business/worldbusiness/edf-buys-into-italian-power-market.html?_r=0. Accessed September 2016.
Utility Europe. (2001a). Energy EC slams timid progress. Utility Europe.
Utility Europe. (2001b). Energy new directive under fierce industry attack. Utility Europe.
European Commission. (2008). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 251 (2)of the EC Treaty concerning the common position of the Council on the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council withdrawing Regulation (EC) No 1775/2005 on conditions for access to the natural gas transmission networks. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2008:0911:FIN. Accessed January 2016.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Brutschin, E. (2016). Targeting Liberalisation. In: EU Gas Security Architecture. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51150-8_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51150-8_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-51149-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-51150-8
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)