The European Union as an Energy Actor

Abstract

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