Current problems related to Energy Policy and Law in European Union
Current problems related to Energy Policy and Law in European Union

Summary/Abstract: Energy belongs to the area of “shared competence” between the EU and its member states. The basicobjectives of EU energy policy are: competitiveness, sustainability and security of supply. There are also concernsregarding pollution of the environment and the need for developing more cost-effective energy technologies.Renewable Energy Sources are an area of keen interest in the EU. The target is to have single energy market by 2014with the hope Europeans will benefit from the growth and development of the internal market also in energy sector.However, the energy area is also legally problematic as it falls under the category of “general economic interest” thatmeans exceptions from general competition legal framework and State Aid rules. Russia is one of the largest energysuppliers of the EU and disputes about transit of exported products have caused in recent years, serious imbalancesin supply. That is why, the priority in EU energy sector is based on encouraging the renewable sources and exploringnew technologies like the US has done, for example, related with shale gas. The main problem of effectivelyachieving the common EU goal is related to the fact that energy supply is a matter of every country’s nationalsecurity.

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