Unity for all

It is quite paradoxical that, in spite of the strong energy dimension of the first European Union treaties and of the relevance of energy for the European economy, until very recently it has been difficult to identify a common European energy policy. Several factors make defining a common European energy policy particularly difficult. There is a conflict between economic efficiency, which has led to the creation of common European gas and electricity markets, and national sovereignty, which makes member states reluctant to leave their supply security in others' hands. Another conflict is the one arising because of policies favoring the so-called "national champions." It is difficult to reach a consensus on these highly political issues. Nuclear energy is yet another problem. Until recently, most of the measures adopted at the European level have lacked an integral vision: usually policies have focused on a particular aspect, fuel, or technology, ignoring the rest. The outcome has been an unbalanced, nonharmonized development of different energy aspects that harms effectiveness and perdurability.