3 Colum. J. Eur. L. 153 (1996)
Christopher Wyeth Kirkham.
The European Union is currently making significant efforts to liberalize and develop its energy market, most recently in Decision No. 1254196/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down a series of guidelines for trans-European energy networks, adopted June 5, 1996. These guidelines follow several Commission studies. On December 13, 1995, the Commission had issued the White Paper on an Energy Policy for the European Union detailing the objectives of the Community for global competitiveness, security of energy supply, protection of the environment and the creation of an internal market for energy. The increase in Community demand and consumption of natural gas and electricity has led to concerns over dependancy on foreign energy sources. In response, the Commission proposed liberalization and integration of Community energy markets, particularly the gas and electricity markets. The most recent manifestation of the move toward integration and liberalization has been calls for trans-European energy networks and projects of common interest, first introduced in the Commission proposal on guidelines for trans-European energy networks. The idea was revived in the Commission’s Green Paper for a European Union Energy Policy,4 from which the guidelines in question were adopted.
