THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENERGY POLICY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: CONTINUITY, CRITICAL JUNCTURES AND CHANGE

Abstract

Ingmar Versolmann’s The Development of Energy Policy in the European Union offers a significant theoretical and methodological contribution to the literature by analyzing the institutional evolution of European energy policy through the lens of historical institutionalism. Concepts such as institutional lock-in, critical junctures, and incremental change are not only discussed at a definitional level but are also operationalized through empirical data. The book provides a comprehensive examination of the multilayered structure of European energy integration by drawing on a wide range of sources including treaties, legal texts, strategic documents, and elite interviews. Furthermore, the model structured around four hypotheses presents an analytical framework that is not limited to the energy domain but can also be applied to other EU policy areas such as digital, environmental, and health policy. However, the book exhibits certain limitations. Discussions on carbon lock-in, renewable energy investments, and environmental sustainability remain superficial. In addition, the analysis of energy diplomacy is largely confined to relations with Russia, omitting key actors such as China, the United States, and Central Asia. The transformative role of competition law in the internal energy market is also underexplored. Despite these shortcomings, the work stands as an essential reference for understanding the development of European energy policy.