Path dependence and Commission activism in the evolution of the European Union's external energy policy

The European Council has instigated an energy policy for Europe, largely in order to address external challenges and to ensure a more reliable flow of hydrocarbons into the European Union. This article seeks to explain why member-states have apparently decided to delegate a number of significant responsibilities to the European Commission within this new energy framework. Evaluating the explanatory power of Liberal Intergovernmentalism and Historical Institutionalism, it is argued that the Commission has played an active role in expanding its initially vague and modest energy related powers to a degree originally not envisaged by member-states. Beyond seizing on external crises, it has utilized path-dependent dynamics to capture authorities and to establish itself as a significant international player in the energy field. Evolving informal rules and Commission practices have significantly paved the way for formal assignments. They have gained credibility, and were eventually considered acceptable from a member-state perspective.