Energy Integration in the European Union – Traditional Approaches and Future Research Avenues

The topic of European Union (EU) energy integration is as complex as the Union itself. There are multiple competing theories, aimed at explaining the past and predicting the future of EU energy integration. This paper presents a summary historical narrative of energy integration in the EU from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) to the present. It further includes a high-level analysis of the current successes and failures of the supra-European energy experiment, as well as new trends that could shape its future, especially in the context of addressing environmental challenges and Europe’s nuclear future. The case study of Bulgaria’s EU membership, the decommissioning of its nuclear reactors and the integration of its energy market, is particularly instructive in the context of continuous academic discourse, which most broadly can be classified as a spectrum, spanning neo-rationalist explanations of member state-level security of supply, sustainability and competitiveness [1]; normative institutionalist explanations, which interpret EU energy integration as the harmonization of national interests through European "socialization" [2]; and everything in between. In subsequent research work, the authors intend to introduce some promising future research trends that could expand on existing neo-rationalist approaches, by further integrating mathematical modeling from game and economic theory. This future research venue could contribute to an enhanced understanding of EU energy sector integration, including decarbonization and nuclear power use, and provide interesting insights into future trends of that market's development, as well as member states', specifically Bulgaria's, place within it.