The slow dawn of the internal energy market in Europe: Explaining market liberalisation in the EU electricity sector
Author
Andersen, Casper
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2008
Abstract
This thesis examines the slow emergence of the EU’s internal energy market by focusing on liberalisation of the electricity sector and the adoption of Directive 96/92. The study situates the analysis within the EU’s political and institutional context (Single European Act, Treaty on European Union, and the co-decision procedure) and applies a Europeanization framework built around three mechanisms of change: institutional compliance (positive integration), changing domestic opportunity structures (negative integration), and learning and framing of expectations. Through actor analysis of the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament, the European Court of Justice, key member states (Germany, France, and the UK), and relevant interest groups, it traces the Commission’s role as a policy entrepreneur, early drafts, choices of legal basis, legal enforcement strategies via the ECJ, and the stepwise path to the adopted directive, including provisions on unbundling, third-party access, market opening, public service obligations, and transitional arrangements. The thesis assesses how institutional fit, domestic opportunity structures, and belief framing shaped member-state preferences and responses and, in turn, the pace of liberalisation. Detailed empirical findings and conclusions are not available in the provided excerpt.
Specialet undersøger den langsomme etablering af et indre energimarked i EU med fokus på liberaliseringen af el-sektoren og tilblivelsen af direktiv 96/92. Analysen forankres i EU’s politiske og institutionelle kontekst (Single European Act, Traktaten om Den Europæiske Union og medbestemmelsesproceduren) og bygger på et europæiseringsperspektiv med tre centrale forandringsmekanismer: institutionel efterlevelse (positiv integration), ændrede nationale mulighedsstrukturer (negativ integration) samt læring og rammesætning af forventninger. Gennem aktøranalyse af Europa-Kommissionen, Ministerrådet, Europa-Parlamentet, EU-Domstolen og nøglemedlemsstater (Tyskland, Frankrig og Storbritannien) samt relevante interessegrupper kortlægges Kommissionens rolle som policy-entreprenør, de tidlige direktivudkast, valg af retsgrundlag, juridiske håndhævelsesstrategier via EU-Domstolen og den gradvise udvikling frem mod det vedtagne direktiv med bestemmelser om unbundling, tredjepartsadgang, markedsåbning, public service-forpligtelser og overgangsordninger. Specialet vurderer, hvordan institutionel “fit”, nationale mulighedsstrukturer og forventningsdannelse påvirkede medlemsstaternes præferencer og respons og dermed tempoet i liberaliseringen. Det konkrete datagrundlag for endelige resultater og konklusioner fremgår ikke af det tilgængelige uddrag.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]