The EU regulation of the gas market: is a new approach emerging?

Rocco, Andrea (2019). The EU regulation of the gas market: is a new approach emerging? University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis explores the international and national legal tools binding the EU and Russia in the energy field and how they impact on the EU-Russia geopolitical relationship. This work will focus on natural gas regulation, given the rising importance of this energy source on the global scale. The approach used starts from legal analysis and is constantly enriched by taking into account economic, political and practical considerations. From the international law perspective, we argue that the rules of World Trade Organization (‘WTO’) represent the only workable legal framework in the instant case. Internally, we identified the Lisbon Treaty as a turning point of European energy regulation. Pre-Lisbon gas legislation could be problematic when assessed under WTO rules and its application showed a lack of coherence with external EU energy relations. By contrast, we found that the Lisbon Treaty and the ensuing legislation are likely to empower the EU with the adequate tools to overcome the pre-Lisbon problems and build solid bilateral relations with Russia. This could be a major improvement to secure EU natural gas supply since economic data show that Russia is likely to remain the most important EU gas supplier in the next 25 years.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):