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(In)consistency in European external energy governance in the EU's southern neighbourhood - The case of Morocco

Daum, Britta (2020)
(In)consistency in European external energy governance in the EU's southern neighbourhood - The case of Morocco.
Technische Universität Darmstadt
doi: 10.25534/tuprints-00011590
Dissertation, Erstveröffentlichung

Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract)

Energy is a strategic product cutting across a variety of domains including (geo)politics and economics, as well as climate and the environment. The achievement of a secure, affordable and sustainable energy supply is at the heart of any economy. In this context, changes in global energy markets have a decisive impact on energy politics, calling for a coherent and consistent governance approach in order to remain competitive. Yet, as for the EU, the achievement of consistency is one of its greatest challenges, notably when it comes to external policies. This is also an issue with respect to energy. In fact, recent developments in the global energy landscape and international events such as climate change increasingly involve the Union in relations of interdependence with its neighbouring countries, including those located to its south. However, whilst energy has always been a key area of cooperation in EU-southern Mediterranean relations and although the Union has long recognised the region’s potential in this regard, past efforts at building a fruitful energy relationship have been rather disappointing. This is problematic in so far as a shift in traditional energy policy cooperation in the region has been observed in recent years, mirroring deep geopolitical change. Adding to this, the perceptibility of EU energy policies in the region is overall low. Against this background, this dissertation examined policy (in)consistency in EU energy governance towards the southern Mediterranean, using Morocco as a case study. In fact, Morocco is not only the EU’s most important partner country within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) framework but is also of utmost importance for the EU’s energy and climate interests, notably when it comes to a clean energy turnaround. Moreover, the country has long been neglected as a research subject in the literature and is therefore or academic interest.

The aim of this research was to explore whether and to what extent the EU is consistent in its energy governance approach towards Morocco and to determine the reasons for consistency or inconsistency, the context in which a total of three factors have been identified, namely competencies, interests and interdependencies. To assess consistency, this research used coordination as a proxy variable for consistency, whereby, inspired by the Les Metcalfe methodology, it attempted to investigate the coordination mechanisms of the different actors involved in EU energy governance towards Morocco, including the horizontal, vertical and diagonal dimensions as well as in the EU multilevel system and at the third-country level. As one outcome of this analysis, it has transpired that coordination (and thus consistency) takes place with regard to different aspects (strategic/political or functional, i.e. when it centres around financial or technical issues). Whilst strategic/political coordination takes place mainly in the EU multilevel system, functional coordination takes place in both the EU multilevel system and at the third-country level. Another outcome is that strategic/political coordination is overall more extensive in the horizontal and diagonal dimensions, but less extensive in the intergovernmental and vertical dimensions, whereas functional coordination seems to run smoothly in all dimensions. One reason for the extensive horizontal and diagonal coordination seem to be the clear delimitation of competencies. The extensive functional coordination in the intergovernmental and vertical dimensions is due to converging energy interests across the EU institutions and member states. By contrast, the less extensive strategic/political coordination in these two dimensions can be explained by diverging policy interests as regards EU energy governance towards Morocco and interdependencies between the member states and Morocco.

Typ des Eintrags: Dissertation
Erschienen: 2020
Autor(en): Daum, Britta
Art des Eintrags: Erstveröffentlichung
Titel: (In)consistency in European external energy governance in the EU's southern neighbourhood - The case of Morocco
Sprache: Englisch
Referenten: Knodt, Prof. Dr. Michèle
Publikationsjahr: 23 April 2020
Ort: Darmstadt
Datum der mündlichen Prüfung: 27 März 2020
DOI: 10.25534/tuprints-00011590
URL / URN: https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/11590
Kurzbeschreibung (Abstract):

Energy is a strategic product cutting across a variety of domains including (geo)politics and economics, as well as climate and the environment. The achievement of a secure, affordable and sustainable energy supply is at the heart of any economy. In this context, changes in global energy markets have a decisive impact on energy politics, calling for a coherent and consistent governance approach in order to remain competitive. Yet, as for the EU, the achievement of consistency is one of its greatest challenges, notably when it comes to external policies. This is also an issue with respect to energy. In fact, recent developments in the global energy landscape and international events such as climate change increasingly involve the Union in relations of interdependence with its neighbouring countries, including those located to its south. However, whilst energy has always been a key area of cooperation in EU-southern Mediterranean relations and although the Union has long recognised the region’s potential in this regard, past efforts at building a fruitful energy relationship have been rather disappointing. This is problematic in so far as a shift in traditional energy policy cooperation in the region has been observed in recent years, mirroring deep geopolitical change. Adding to this, the perceptibility of EU energy policies in the region is overall low. Against this background, this dissertation examined policy (in)consistency in EU energy governance towards the southern Mediterranean, using Morocco as a case study. In fact, Morocco is not only the EU’s most important partner country within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) framework but is also of utmost importance for the EU’s energy and climate interests, notably when it comes to a clean energy turnaround. Moreover, the country has long been neglected as a research subject in the literature and is therefore or academic interest.

The aim of this research was to explore whether and to what extent the EU is consistent in its energy governance approach towards Morocco and to determine the reasons for consistency or inconsistency, the context in which a total of three factors have been identified, namely competencies, interests and interdependencies. To assess consistency, this research used coordination as a proxy variable for consistency, whereby, inspired by the Les Metcalfe methodology, it attempted to investigate the coordination mechanisms of the different actors involved in EU energy governance towards Morocco, including the horizontal, vertical and diagonal dimensions as well as in the EU multilevel system and at the third-country level. As one outcome of this analysis, it has transpired that coordination (and thus consistency) takes place with regard to different aspects (strategic/political or functional, i.e. when it centres around financial or technical issues). Whilst strategic/political coordination takes place mainly in the EU multilevel system, functional coordination takes place in both the EU multilevel system and at the third-country level. Another outcome is that strategic/political coordination is overall more extensive in the horizontal and diagonal dimensions, but less extensive in the intergovernmental and vertical dimensions, whereas functional coordination seems to run smoothly in all dimensions. One reason for the extensive horizontal and diagonal coordination seem to be the clear delimitation of competencies. The extensive functional coordination in the intergovernmental and vertical dimensions is due to converging energy interests across the EU institutions and member states. By contrast, the less extensive strategic/political coordination in these two dimensions can be explained by diverging policy interests as regards EU energy governance towards Morocco and interdependencies between the member states and Morocco.
Alternatives oder übersetztes Abstract:
Alternatives AbstractSprache

Energie ist ein strategisches Produkt welches verschiedene Bereiche wie (Geo)politik, Wirtschaft, sowie das Klima und die Umwelt betrifft und das Erreichen einer sicheren, bezahlbaren und nachhaltigen Energieversorgung steht im Mittelpunkt einer jeden Marktwirtschaft. In diesem Zusammenhang haben Veränderungen in den globalen Energiemärkten einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf Energiepolitiken und erfordern einen kohärenten und konsistenten Governance-Ansatz, um die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit zu erhalten. Nichtsdestotrotz ist für die EU das Erreichen von Konsistenz einer ihrer grössten Herausforderungen, besonders was Aussenpolitiken betrifft und somit auch ein Problem in Bezug auf Energie. So bringen die jüngsten Entwicklungen in der globalen Energielandschaft und internationale Geschehnisse wie der Klimawandel die EU zunehmend in Abhängigkeitsverhältnisse mit ihren Nachbarländern, auch mit den südlichen. Dennoch, obwohl Energie ein Schwerpunktthema der Kooperation zwischen der EU und den Ländern des südlichen Mittelmeerraums war und obwohl die Union diesbezüglich das Potenzial dieser Region erkannt hat, waren vergangene Anstrengungen eine fruchtbare Zusammenarbeit aufzubauen, eher enttäuschend. Das ist dahingehend ein Problem, als das in den letzten Jahren eine Verschiebung in der traditionellen Energiepolitikkooperation – basierend auf tiefgreifenden geopolitischen Umwälzungen – in der Region beobachtet werden konnte. Ausserdem ist die Wahrnehmung von EU Energiepolitiken in der Region allgemein niedrig. Vor diesem Hintegrund untersucht diese Dissertation die Konsistenz in EU Energie-Governance gegenüber des südlichen Mittelmeerraums, wobei Marokko als Fallstudie verwendet wird. Tatsächlich ist Marokko nicht nur der wichtigste Partner der EU-Nachbarschaftspolitik, sondern auch von hoher Bedeutung für die Energie-und Klimainteressen der EU, besonders wenn es um die Energiewende geht. Ausserdem wurde das Land lange als Forschungsgegenstand in der Literatur vernachlässigt und verdient daher akademische Aufmerksamkeit.

Das Ziel dieser Recherche war es zu erforschen, ob und inwieweit die EU in ihrem Energie-Governance-Ansatz gegenüber Marokko konsistent ist und die Gründe für Konsistenz oder Inkonsistenz festzustellen, wobei ingesamt drei Faktoren identifiziert wurden, nämlich Kompetenzen, Interessen und Interdependenzen. Um Konsistenz zu beurteilen, verwendete diese Recherche Koordinierung als eine Stellvertretervariabel für Konsistenz, wobei sie, inspiriert von der Les Metcalfe Methode, versuchte die Koordinierungsmechanismen der verschieden Akteure der EU Energie-Governance gegenüber Marokko zu ermitteln, inklusive in der horizontalen, vertikalen und diagonalen Dimensionen sowie im EU Mehrebenensystem und auf der Ebene des Drittlandes. Als ein Ergebnis hat sich herausgestellt, dass Koordinierung (und somit Konsistenz) in Bezug auf verschiedene Aspekte (strategisch/politisch oder funktional, d.h. wenn es um finanzielle oder technische Belange geht) stattfindet. Während strategische/politische Koordinierung hauptsächlich im EU-Mehrebenensystem stattfindet, findet funktionale Koordinierung sowohl im EU-Mehrebenensystem als auch auf der Ebene des Drittlandes statt. Ein anderes Ergebnis ist, dass strategische/politische Koordinierung insgesamt extensiver in der horizontalen und diagonalen Dimension ist, aber weniger extensiv in der zwischenstaatlichen und vertikalen Dimension, während funktionale Koordinierung in allen Dimensionen gut zu laufen scheint. Ein Grund für die extensive horizontale und diagonal Koordinierung scheint die klare Kompetenzabgrenzung zu sein. Die extensive funktionale Koordinierung in der zwischenstaatlichen und vertikalen Dimension besteht aufgrund von konvergierenden Energieinteressen in den EU-Institutionen und den Mitgliedsstaaten. Demgegenüber kann die weniger strategische/politische Koordinierung in diesen zwei Dimensionen mit divergierenden Politikinteressen bezüglich der EU Energie-Governance gegenüber Marokko und Interdependenzen zwischen den Mitgliedsstaaten und Marokko erklärt werden.

Deutsch
URN: urn:nbn:de:tuda-tuprints-115900
Sachgruppe der Dewey Dezimalklassifikatin (DDC): 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 320 Politik
Fachbereich(e)/-gebiet(e): 02 Fachbereich Gesellschafts- und Geschichtswissenschaften
02 Fachbereich Gesellschafts- und Geschichtswissenschaften > Institut für Politikwissenschaft
Hinterlegungsdatum: 23 Apr 2020 10:45
Letzte Änderung: 27 Apr 2020 05:22
PPN:
Referenten: Knodt, Prof. Dr. Michèle
Datum der mündlichen Prüfung / Verteidigung / mdl. Prüfung: 27 März 2020
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