Abstract

Several European Union (EU) member states have an explicit ambition to strengthen their energy security by tapping into indigenous shale gas reserves. To date a complex set of factors has contributed to the fact that no commercial shale gas extraction has taken place. Though debates in the European Commission (EC) and the European Parliament (EP) continue, decision-making regarding shale gas extraction continues to be an affair primarily addressed at the member state level. In this short paper, we argue that while the division of labor between supranational institutions and member states ...