ABSTRACT
Part III considered the evolution of the EU's energy policy (Chapter 10), the convergence patterns between the energy security policies of member states (Chapter 11) and the guidelines for a common European energy policy (Chapter 12). Even though frequent references were made about the external projection of the EU's energy policy, the three chapters were basically focused on the inner workings of the EU's energy system. By contrast, the last part of the book (Chapters 13–15) studies the EU's energy security policy towards third countries from a strategic perspective, i.e. considering the best external policy actions in relation to third countries that are expected to behave rationally in defence of their own interests. Strategic behaviour is necessary when the final outcome of one player's choices depends on the decisions of several players, so that each one has to assess the available choices taking into account the possible actions or responses of the other players.
