Evolution of EU energy law and policy: A big comeback of energy security in 2022?

Abstract

The armed conflict in Ukraine in 2022 and subsequent worsening of relations between Western countries, including the EU and its Member States, and the Russian Federation, have deeply shaken the existing EU energy law and policy foundations. During the past decades, the EU attempted to develop a comprehensive energy policy based on three pillars – competitiveness and internal market principles, security of supply, sustainability and environmental protection. Starting in the 1990s, liberalization efforts dominated the electricity and natural gas markets. It did not take long for energy security and environmental protection to gain attention. Enlargement of the European Union and occasional problems with external suppliers prompted new measures regarding the security of supply, while a growing body of legislation is also present in the field of environmental protection. The three objectives of the EU energy policy are not always complementary, and some tension and even confliction between them can’t be excluded. Although the European Union and its institutions attempt to embrace all three pillars under the sustainability umbrella, this hasn’t brought a desirable outcome yet. We are witnessing the big comeback of energy security in 2022, including the adoption of some measures by the Member States that are not in line with decarbonization efforts, at least in short term.