Europe’s security of gas supply legislation – a short legal history and latest developments

The security of Europe’s gas supply has been the subject of much debate. The focus, however, is often on technical or economical considerations. This article is the first to provide a comprehensive overview and analysis of legislative aspects of the security of gas supply to Europe. It uses the three core components of energy security – availability, reliability and affordability – as a tool to shed light on the historical development of gas security legislation in Europe.

Starting with the late 1960s, the article distinguishes three broad phases of legislative activities over the last several decades, namely an early phase, a consolidation phase and a third phase of increasing Europeanisation and oversight. The article concludes with some recommendations, amongst them an increased focus of future legislative activities in the field on affordability of the gas supply for all European consumers.