The Energy Union: a coherent policy package?

In 2015, the European Union launched the Energy Union in order to reduce fragmentation in European energy policy and boost Europe’s energy transition. This chapter analyses whether the Energy Union, as a policy package, constitutes a coherent whole and whether its distinct components are being pursued in a coordinated manner. We use a simple policy-analytical framework by which the policy components are juxtaposed in a screening matrix. The interactions between the Energy Union policy components are assessed according to a novel typology for understanding interactions and coherence in the 2030 Agenda, with policy interactions ranging on a scale from cancelling to indivisible. Our assessment shows that the interactions are often complex and sometimes vary depending on the time frame. We identify two key hotspots: the relationships between energy security and energy efficiency and between energy security and decarbonisation.