Triggers and Accelerators of Reforms in the EU Natural Gas Markets

Why despite similar exposure to the EU directives, regulations and competition policy tools natural gas markets of some EU member states moved towards more competitiveness while others did not? The starting competition level in certain natural gas markets is not necessary seen as the most optimal by all domestic actors but costs of moving out of it may be perceived as too high. However, the EU's push towards liberalization of natural gas markets changes opportunity structure, redistributes the power of domestic actors and has a triggering effect. Then the international natural gas markets change the incentive structure and do the rest. It is expected that the direction of national natural gas market liberalization would be going just up – more liberalization and more competitiveness in every national market – but with differing trajectories. The literature strand which the proposed paper aims is the power-centered and interest-based approaches to political economy.