The European Union (EU) faces a pressing, multi-level energy crisis propelled by the perfect storm of Russia’s war in Ukraine and rapidly progressing climate change. As a result, the EU is... Show moreThe European Union (EU) faces a pressing, multi-level energy crisis propelled by the perfect storm of Russia’s war in Ukraine and rapidly progressing climate change. As a result, the EU is scrambling to ensure it has sufficient energy supplies for the foreseeable future while reinventing its energy strategy in the long term. Since the EU is at a critical juncture for squaring EU energy security with European and international legal commitments, this article surveys this radical shift and its consequences. It analyses new EU-wide crisis-response tools and ad hoc bilateral arrangements with third countries against existing legal commitments. Recent developments are only the beginning of a much larger re-evaluation of core notions of the ‘trade-energy security’ nexus. To decarbonize, the EU must move towards a ‘security-centred’ energy transition, premised on ‘security first, compliance second’. This requires reassessing the notion of ‘protectionism’ in geopolitically sensitive areas and the current division of energy competences between the EU and its Member States. Show less
Liberalization of the European internal market for energy by means of unbundling and third party access alone is not enough to make renewable energy on a par with fossil fuels. To increase the... Show moreLiberalization of the European internal market for energy by means of unbundling and third party access alone is not enough to make renewable energy on a par with fossil fuels. To increase the production of renewable energy in its Member States, the EU has in place a set of legal instruments to promote the scale up of renewable energy production through i.e. setting binding targets for renewables and providing a legal framework for support schemes. However, while arguably consistent with EU disciplines pertaining to State aid, EU support schemes can easily fall foul of wto subsidy disciplines. This chapter argues that EU and wto law are disconnected paradigms in this respect: EU legislation by its design attempts to legitimize support schemes for renewable energy, not necessarily taking into account their consistency with the wto subsidy disciplines. wto law, on the other hand, currently arguably provides too little legal space for subsidies that further legitimate policy goals, such as advancing environmental protection and climate change mitigation. Show less
Nu de Brexit een feit is, rijst de vraag wat er komen gaat op het gebied van energieregulering tussen het Verenigd Koninkrijk en de Europese Unie. Dit artikel zal ingaan op specifieke aspecten van... Show moreNu de Brexit een feit is, rijst de vraag wat er komen gaat op het gebied van energieregulering tussen het Verenigd Koninkrijk en de Europese Unie. Dit artikel zal ingaan op specifieke aspecten van het energiebeleid waarvan het aannemelijk is dat ze aandachtspunten en/of struikelblokken zullen zijn tijdens de huidige onderhandelingen. Als het VK uit de Europese interne markt voor energie stapt, zullen er onderlinge afspraken moeten wordt gemaakt over gemeenschappelijk nucleair beleid, de regulering van de handel in gas en elektriciteit, gezamenlijke energieprojecten, investeringen in de energiesector en het klimaatbeleid. De huidige stand van zaken wijst erop dat het VK na de overgangsperiode daadwerkelijk terug zal gaan naar een scenario van ‘Splendid Isolation’ voor wat betreft hun energiebeleid, wat impliceert dat het land zich zeer terughoudend opstelt in zijn verhoudingen met politieke grootmachten (in dit geval de EU). Show less
It is no secret that while the European Union (EU) has taken up commitments to combat climate change under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Paris Agreement and its own 2020... Show moreIt is no secret that while the European Union (EU) has taken up commitments to combat climate change under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Paris Agreement and its own 2020 and 2030 climate and energy package strategy, the Union continues to be heavily dependent on the import of fossil fuels from abroad. One may even say that this leads to a cognitive dissonance, i.e. the discomfort which ensues if one holds two contradictory values, with respect to the externalisation of the Union’s energy and sustainable development policy. On the one hand, the EU aims to become a global frontrunner in the field of promoting renewable energy and sustainable development. This expresses itself through the inclusion of specific chapters on Trade and Sustainable Development in the EU’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) (standard since the 2011 EU-South Korea FTA). On the other, the EU realises that it is imperative to secure the Union’s security of energy supply, still largely guaranteed by fossil fuels. Therefore, the Union in parallel attempts to eliminate discriminatory practices in international fossil fuel trade in its bilateral agreements (e.g. in the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement). This paper will explore the root causes of this cognitive dissonance and research what elements could contribute to ensuring more coherence in EU external energy policy. The objectives of sustainable development and security of supply are not necessarily contradictory per se. However, clearer delineations between the two objectives are necessary in EU external relations in general, and in the Union’s FTAs more specifically. This also applies to relations between Member States and the Union in this area, as well as to the interactions between the relevant EU institutions tasked with energy, sustainable development and the environment. Show less
