Suchergebnisse

This book explores the positions of small EU members in approaching external energy security, using Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia as case studies. It examines when small EU members support and when they oppose further development of cooperation at the European level in external energy security and argues that their preferences depend on their perceived ability to deal with the challenges of their energy policies. It finds that small EU members whose decision-makers believe that their states can successfully deal with these challenges do not support the deepening of European integration in external energy security as this would mean a loss of competences (and vice-versa), concluding that European integration is considered to be a response to perceived vulnerability. This book will be of key interest to scholars, students and professionals in EU politics and foreign policy, energy policy and security, and more broadly to security studies, European politics and international relations.

This paper analyses the perception of the new Member States of the EU (the 2004 and 2007 entrants) held by diplomats from permanent representations of the old Member States in Brussels. The contention is that being aware of the perceptions within the EU decision-making process can foster our understanding of the mechanism, since the way in which representatives of individual Member States view other members impacts cooperation at EU level. To study these perceptions, the paper employs image theory, a foreign policy analysis approach, and asks what sort of image diplomats from the old Member States ascribe to the newcomers. The paper is based on 24 semi-structured interviews with representatives of old Member States at their permanent representations. It analyzes the three dimensions that make up the image (relative power, compatibility of goals and cultural distance) and concludes that the prevailing image is that of an ally. But the newcomers are not seen as a unitary group and there are fine-grained differences along each of the dimensions. Future research should therefore focus on amending image theory in order to shed more light on subtle differences in the mutual perceptions of EU Member States.

Abstract
This paper tries to shed some light on factors influencing the positions of the new member states of the EU on Eastern Partnership in its initial phase. It utilises an analytical approach developed by Copsey and Haughton (2009) and argues that the two most important factors affecting positioning of newcomers towards the initiative are: perceived size and geography. While the new members were especially keen to support their immediate neighbours, they were using a common policy towards these countries to increase their presence and influence in the region since the initiative helped them to deal with neighbourhood issues they were not able to solve on their own. The paper suggests an amendment to the theoretical approach and proposes an assumption explaining positioning of the member states towards the third countries that better reflect the empirical evidence than the original framework. Moreover, the research showed that Poland differed from the rest of the new EU countries, was much more active and influential and rather resembled the old members. However, due to its not very positive image (caused by its assertive approach and strong effort to play a prominent role within the EU) its influence within the EU was limited and, therefore it proposed the Eastern Partnership together with Sweden that held a much better image.

The paper analyses the development of the EU energy policy since the beginning of the European integration and argues that the eastern enlargement and two gas crises in 2006 and 2009 have crucially impacted its evolution. Originally, the ES/EU dealt primarily with the formation and liberalisation of internal energy market, however after 2004 the focus has shifted towards issues of energy security and external energy relations in general. The paper uses the spillover concept to analyse the development of the EU energy policy. It argues that the development of internal energy market was caused by a spillover from internal market as such, while the progress in the area of energy policy after the eastern enlargement was an outcome of efforts to achieve energy security; efforts that resulted in further spillover effects in areas such as diversification, external energy relations or efficiency. The paper thus claims that common European energy policy in its internal and external dimensions started to evolve gradually after the Eastern enlargement.

Chapter 1. Introduction: Central and Eastern European perspective on energy transition -- Part I. ENERGY TRANSITION CHALLENGES -- Chapter 2. From economic transformation to energy transition. The legacy of 30 years of postcommunist development -- Chapter 3. The CEE Energy Transition: Recurring 50 year old dynamics? -- Chapter 4. Tunnel With No Light: Entrapment and 'Exit' of V4 Countries' Energy Transition -- chapter 5. Public attitudes to sustainable energy transitions in the Visegrad four: historical legacy and emerging trends -- Chapter 6. Structural Changes in the Baltics and the Russian Presence: Ramifications for the Region's Energy Future. Chapter 7. Women as change agents of the Bulgarian energy transition -- Part II. DIFFERENT PATHS TO ENERGY TRANSITION -- Chapter 8. Pathways for a low-carbon electricity system in Poland and Hungary -- Chapter 9. Slovenia: Drivers and Challenges of Energy Transition to Climate Neutrality -- Chapter 10. Energy transformation in Lithuania: Aiming for the grand changes -- Chapter 11. Between Energy Security and Energy Transition: Visegrad Gas Hub -- Chapter 12. Path-dependencies of carbon lock-in shaping coal phase-out in Poland's electricity sector: A herculean task of decarbonization? -- Part III. LEGAL AND POLITICAL ASPECTS OF ENERGY TRANSITION -- Chapter 13. The CEE countries and the European Union's energy transition: Economic analysis of law -- Chapter 14. The role of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the reformulation of Hungarian energy policy. Chapter 15. Perfect compliance? Nuclear power in Central and Eastern Europe and the EU membership. Chapter 16. Energy-transition challenges in the Baltic Sea Region: an overview of socio-political and legal gaps -- Part IV. VIEW FROM THE NEIGHBOURHOOD -- Chapter 17. Energy security pathways in South East Europe: Diversification of the natural gas supplies, energy transition, and energy futures -- Chapter 18. Transition to electricity from renewables in line with the EU standards in Serbia:Integration with(out) membership and inconsistent implementation -- Chapter 19. A light at the end of a tunnel or a freight train? A comparative analysis of energy transition in Croatia and Serbia -- Conclusion: Halfway between economic and energy transition .