ABSTRACT
This chapter explains EU external engagement on energy by addressing the following questions: How and to what extent has the EU achieved actorness in energy policy? And how and why has it engaged externally in this policy domain in the way it has? It assesses EU actorness by building on the conceptual framework of Bretherton and Vogler (2006) that looks at how opportunity, presence and capability co-determine this actorness. The chapter argues that the degree of EU actorness in energy can best be described as medium since it remains rather constrained by an external policy context (opportunity) characterized by global competition for energy resources. It looks at the EU's competences for external activities, policy objectives and procedures for external engagement in the energy domain. The chapter outlines the different forms of EU activities in the energy domain and then determines the extent of EU external engagement.
