Path Dependence and Commission Activism in the Evolution of the European Union's External Energy Policy
Article from: OGEL 3 (2008), in Energy Security
Abstract
The European Council has instigated an energy policy for Europe, largely in order to address external challenges and to ensure a more reliable flow of hydrocarbons into the European Union. This article seeks to explain why member-states have apparently decided to delegate a number of significant responsibilities to the European Commission within this new energy framework. Evaluating the explanatory power of Liberal Intergovernmentalism and Historical Institutionalism, it is argued that the Commission has played an active role in expanding its initially vague and modest energy related ...