The impact of the European Union-Russia relations on creating a common EU energy policy

Abstract

This thesis aims to understand the bilateral relations of five key member states of the European Union, namely Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Austria, with Russia in supplying their energy need and to discover how these relations affect the EU policy making process in creating a common energy policy in the light of two theories of European integration: intergovernmentalism and liberal intergovernmentalism. The thesis reaches three main conclusions on how the national preferences of five key member states are formed, to what extent these preferences affect intergovernmental bargaining or interstate negotiations on creating a common EU energy policy, and whether the result of this bargaining process is in favour or against the goal of EU to achieve a common energy policy. First, the national preferences of these states are driven by issue-specific economic interests. Second, national preferences of these states have a considerable impact on their decisions on creating a common EU energy policy. Finally, diverse and plural interests of these states on the liberalisation of EU electricity and gas sectors and their relations with Russia to differing degrees had an impact on EU policy making process in achieving a common EU energy policy. Keywords: Energy Dialogue, European Union, Russia, intergovernmentalism, liberal intergovernmentalism