Introduction

This introductory chapter addresses the book’s core theme, namely the evolution of European Union (EU) energy policy, focusing on its development from early initiatives in the 1950s to the ambitious frameworks of the European Energy Union and the European Green Deal (EGD). Energy policy is characterised by efforts to reconcile three overarching aspects in the institutional setting: creating an internal energy market (IEM), the affordable and uninterrupted supply of energy, whilst minimising the environmental impact and reducing carbon emissions. The chapter provides a broad overview of various issues that emerged in the energy sector and presents the research question that helps narrow the scope of the research. The chapter also introduces the theoretical framework – Historical Institutionalism (HI) – which guides the analysis. Based on specific temporal processes and utilising concepts like path dependence, critical junctures, and positive feedback mechanisms, the chapter extrapolates why HI is a valuable and well-suited theory to explain decision-making in energy policy. Furthermore, various important contributions from the literature are presented that were integral to the research and ideas developed in the book.