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In an empirical in-depth evaluation of European policy making and policy outcome the thesis aims at a better understanding of the impact the enlargement of 2004 and 2007 had on the European policy-making process an its outcome. It is centred around the question, how the political system of the EU changed after the accession of the new Member States. In terms of the EU s self chosen slogan 'United in Diversity', the thesis asks, in which direction the EU gravitated after the enlargement was accomplished: Towards more unity or more diversity? In order to shed some light on this question, the thesis evolves around the hypothesis that the accession of the new Member States to the EU resulted in a shift of established policy-making patterns: Regarding the high quantity of the new political actors, the enlargement may have had enough weight to trigger quick change in the European political system, by altering the existing balance between the advocacy coalitions on a given policy field.

The neglect of Europe's Internal Electricity Market in the public debate on Germany's 'Energiewende' (energy transition) is surprising, given its role as the main transit country for electricity in Europe. The transformation of the country's energy sector will further exacerbate network fluctuations and intensify the need for modifications in Europe's power system. Cross-border power transfers will have to increase in order to overcome national limitations on absorbing large volumes of intermittent renewables like wind and solar power. As the Nordic power market demonstrates, only a truly integrated, supranational electricity market can provide the capacity needed for synergetic interaction of diverse national power systems. In order to establish such an infrastructure on a European scale, the energy transition needs to be guided by an economic approach designed to prevent further fractures in the Internal Electricity Market. Moreover, constructive negotiations with neighbouring countries on market designs and price signals will be important preconditions for a successful 'Energiewende' in Europe

Despite several attempts at completion, the EU's internal electricity market remains fractured into weakly interconnected submarkets. With a recently published initiative to extend cross-border power lines, the European Commission is striving for better market integration and more competition. Recent changes in Germany's energy policy seem to complement this initiative, increasing the pressure for a more interconnected European energy market. They will have a deep impact on the European energy system and make a European response imperative. Yet, given the fragmentation within the European electricity market, their effect will probably be the opposite

AbstractExisting EU study approaches have come under stress as comprehensive models of European politics. In this context, bilateral relations between EU members remain under‐researched yet important for understanding the inner workings of the EU. While EU membership puts strong limitations on certain kinds of state behaviour it also leaves room for the pursuit of national interests through economic and legal means. Against this background, the article presents and develops the EU Geoeconomics Framework. Focussed on situations where state and companies share control over vital sectors of the national economy, this framework theorizes the relations between EU member states (MSs). After presenting the main assumptions and focus of EU Geoeconomics, the article develops six testable propositions. It then discusses these propositions as well as the fruitfulness of the framework against the latest developments in EU studies theory. The article concludes by pointing towards a renewed discussion of bilateral relations.

Europe's power system is still marked by a distinct national component, and despite some regions with strongly integrated power systems, electricity supply today still has a largely national basis. Policies to decarbonise the power sector may fundamentally alter this situation, because power generation from renewable, carbon-neutral sources may require large, flexible, and heterogenic power pools as backdrop for efficient operation. Integration of little or non-integrated parts of the European power system is therefore a key element for the successful transition of the European power sector towards more renewables. But a development which fosters integration, growing transmission distances and bigger markets will likely lead to a reshuffling of allocation of power generation capacity in Europe. As with any fundamental policy change, decarbonisation of the power sector will create new winners and losers. Moreover, an integrated power system will probably cause new dependencies on the good-will of neighbouring countries. Europe is hence confronted with a "catch-22": On the one hand, policy makers see the advantages of renewables and the exploitation of domestic energy resources, yet the necessary adaptations of power generation, distribution and consumption implies the risk of "harming" the national power sector. EU policies to increase renewables and to create an internal energy market (IEM) thus aim at ameliorating this situation by e.g. both stimulating construction of renewable energy infrastructure and creating more interconnectors between member states. But due to various interests at the national level, member states' levels of ambitions in contributing to achieving these overarching targets vary a lot. The instruments the European Union has at her hands will therefore have to be refined if the reluctance of member states to integrate power systems is to be overcome.

The geopolitical implications of renewable energy involve changes beyond the immediate impact on energy and commodity streams. Energy policies of individual countries affect each other via different economic and political channels. This paper studies the role of renewable energy in EU-China relations, two leading powers in the field of renewable energy. Both polities have recently increased their individual ambitions towards decarbonisation of their domestic energy systems, and renewables play an increasingly important role in shaping their bilateral dealings. We therefore ask what influence renewable energy has on the relationship between both sides. To capture the effect, we employ the concept of policy interdependence in four areas related to renewable energy namely climate, energy, industry, and trade and investment policy. While these are often seen as separate fields, they are all related to renewable energy. Findings indicate that renewable energy has the potential to be a determinant of bilateral relations. Renewable energy contributed to greater alignment between the EU and China in the past, while increasing recourse to policy choices based on national priorities today creates obstacles to further cooperation. However, the patterns of policy interdependence identified in this study also suggest potential for renewed cooperation in the field of energy policy, depending on the capability of policymakers to see beyond the current structure of the bilateral relationship. ; publishedVersion