The energy sector has seen a significant evolution within the European integration process. Initially treated as a traditional “good” within the internal market, energy has been acknowledged as a highly critical “commodity” due to its socio-economic importance and environmental implications. From this perspective, as of the nineties, the EC Institutions have adopted internal rules to ensure the liberalization of energy provision, as well as cooperation between the Member States to assure the safety, solidarity, and sustainability of energy. Nevertheless, well-aware of European dependency on third countries as an energy source, the EU has incentivized the cooperation regarding energy through bilateral agreements (including the “Brexit” agreement), and macro-regional and multilateral accords. The chapter examines whether the EU is assuming a leading role in drawing up effective international energy regulation in the light of the current energy crisis. The method consists in analyzing all the provisions contained in the bilateral trade and association agreement, macro-regional, and multilateral agreements. The importance of this study lies in proposing an innovative classification of the bilateral energy provisions based on their principal objectives, also focusing on the role of the EU as a promoter of regulation and cooperation at both macro-regional and multilateral levels. The chapter argues that, to strengthen the EU role in the regional, macro-regional, and multilateral level, an overall reform of the institutional and regulatory system is the premise, as well as a stronger engagement in the relaunch of the multilateral fora of discussion, as the ECT. In the light of the Russian invasion in Uckraine, the chapter analyses the first actions assumed by the EU to assess its ability to become free from the Russian dependence and put itself as a leader in the global energy sector
Energy Issues in EU Agreements, Between Supply Security, Solidarity, and Sustainability, Before and After the Russian- Ukrainian Conflict: Can the EU Become a Leader in Global Energy Relationships?
Pugliese
2023-01-01
Abstract
The energy sector has seen a significant evolution within the European integration process. Initially treated as a traditional “good” within the internal market, energy has been acknowledged as a highly critical “commodity” due to its socio-economic importance and environmental implications. From this perspective, as of the nineties, the EC Institutions have adopted internal rules to ensure the liberalization of energy provision, as well as cooperation between the Member States to assure the safety, solidarity, and sustainability of energy. Nevertheless, well-aware of European dependency on third countries as an energy source, the EU has incentivized the cooperation regarding energy through bilateral agreements (including the “Brexit” agreement), and macro-regional and multilateral accords. The chapter examines whether the EU is assuming a leading role in drawing up effective international energy regulation in the light of the current energy crisis. The method consists in analyzing all the provisions contained in the bilateral trade and association agreement, macro-regional, and multilateral agreements. The importance of this study lies in proposing an innovative classification of the bilateral energy provisions based on their principal objectives, also focusing on the role of the EU as a promoter of regulation and cooperation at both macro-regional and multilateral levels. The chapter argues that, to strengthen the EU role in the regional, macro-regional, and multilateral level, an overall reform of the institutional and regulatory system is the premise, as well as a stronger engagement in the relaunch of the multilateral fora of discussion, as the ECT. In the light of the Russian invasion in Uckraine, the chapter analyses the first actions assumed by the EU to assess its ability to become free from the Russian dependence and put itself as a leader in the global energy sectorI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
