The European Union as an Energy Actor: Conceptualizing the Energy Actorness

Abstract

This article focuses on the relationship between the EU actorness and the
internal and external dimension of energy policy in an effort to
conceptualize the EU energy actorness. In this respect, the main goals of
the article are two. The first is to identify the basic aspects of EU actorness
and to define their interrelationship in energy policy. The second is to
conceptualize individual criteria of the external and internal dimensions of
EU energy actorness and to analyze the possibilities of their use in the
context of the discussion between conventional constructivism and
rationalism. The intention is to create a modified framework incorporating
the internal and external dimension of the EU’s energy actorness,
operationalized by a set of criteria that can be used to analyze the EU
energy policy and its relations. The article should contribute to
understanding the issue of the EU’s actorness and to deepening the debate
on energy policy.