Energy and Climate Change: Europe at the Crossroads

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This book traces the spreading out of energy policy from being a relatively narrow concern of the Brussels anti-trust division and market liberalisers, to becoming the focus of renewed worry about energy dependence on a resurgent Russia, and to developing into the Union's highest profile international policy through EU leadership on climate change. The book assesses progress towards these different goals of energy policy--competitive market structure, secure supply, a low carbon economy--and argues that while they are not always equally achievable for all EU states, the policy trade-offs are easier for member states in a Union than as countries standing alone.

Nonetheless, it points out that the EU could use its continental scale to better effect in energy saving, research and nuclear cooperation, as well as in providing energy security. It notes how member states have valued EU energy policy enough to let its development run ahead of formal treaty provisions. But for such advances to continue, the EU has to stay useful and relevant to member states' concerns. So the EU should re-order its priorities: to consolidate and police existing liberalisation rather than pursue new and possibly counter-productive market restructuring; to be more realistic about its energy relationship with Russia; and to be more ambitious on climate change goals, but more economically rational in achieving them.The book has recommendations for internal energy market, energy security and climate change policies. It concludes curbing carbon emissions in a cost-effective way must be the EU's top energy priority, and therefore renewable and bio-fuel plans should be made more rational.