Claeys & Casteels Publishers BV – förlag

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.Article 102 TFEU, concerning the abuse of adominant position, has probably never played a more prominent role in EU anti-trust policy than today. In 2009 there were high profile cases involving Microsoft, Intel, GDF Suez, and numerous others, and at the end of 2008 the Commission issued new Guidance on enforcement priorities in applying Article 102 to abusive exclusionary conduct. Article102 represents in many respects probably the most rapidly evolving area of EU anti-trust law.This title gives a complete working guide to all new procedures as well as a detailed examination of Court jurisprudence in this complex and important area of law and gives an in-depth working guide to the application of Article 102 in practice, including the evolution in policy resulting from the important Commission Review and the economic approach to its application that is becoming the hallmark of recent Commission policy in this area.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.With the adoption of Regulation 1/2003 at the end of 2002 and Regulation 773/2004 in April 2004, the procedures organizing the enforcement of Community EU Law, at both the national and Community level, have undergone a major transformation.In particular, these reform have made Articles 81 and 82 directly applicable in full, changed the manner in which undertakings might get legal security regarding their agreements and provide for a much greater role in Community competition law enforcement for national competition authorities.This second edition of Procedure gives a complete working guide to these new procedures as well as a detailed examination of Court jurisprudence in this complex and important area of law.

This book addresses EU law on market manipulation, insider trading and the obligation to disclose inside information on wholesale electricity and gas markets in Europe, focussing on the EU REMIT Regulation. It provides in depth commentary on the articles of the Regulation and situates it within the wider legal, economic and political context.Key Features:Analyses the political and legislative road to the EU REMIT RegulationOutlines the law and administrative practice on energy market abuseExplores the relationship between REMIT and the EU Market Abuse RegulationHighlights economic considerations in market manipulationDescribes the latest amendments to REMIT in 2024Compares similar REMIT rules in the UK and energy market manipulation rules in the USCovers more than 50 published decisions across Europe, including in France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UKThis book provides clear and practical guidance for in-house counsel of energy companies participating in EU or UK electricity and gas markets, as well as scholars, law firms and practitioners advising on energy matters. It may be useful also, as an independent view of the subject, to enforcing regulators such as the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, national energy regulatory authorities, members of the European Commission and the European Securities and Markets Authority.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.Energy has always been a potential positive European cooperation and integration factor. Providing zero-carbon power to homes and businesses across the EU will require an open market in electricity, underpinned by both upgraded and new trans-national transmission networks. Building this network in time to meet the 2050 challenge will require action now.Supergrid will allow Europe to transform its present energy system, still mainly based on fossil fuels, to one that is sustainable since it will not only be able to optimise all generation (energy mixes) of the Member States but will also be able to integrate all renewable energy sources that Europe wishes to exploit.This book will show that the above could be implemented today if there was the political will do so followed by the implementation of the necessary regulatory instruments. The different chapters will lead us through the period when the idea of a European Supergrid was just a vision to the reality of the technological developments that make it possible to have such a transformed energy system in the near future. Europe can afford a transformed energy system. Investing in all these new technologies that can limit global warming to 2°C has, of course, a cost but the cost of doing nothing would be much higher and not only in terms of money.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.Gas represents a pivotal element of the European energy architecture. New elements such as the evolution of the EU Energy Union, the international climate agreement reached at COP-21, the EU Russia gas relations in the aftermath of the Ukraine crisis and the supply potential emerging in the Eastern Mediterranean, are rapidly reshaping the European gas markets.This book seeks to provide an insight into these developments, with the ultimate aim of contributing to the current European gas debate by providing a balancing act between two issues, decarbonisation of the European energy system and security of gas supply, that are usually conceived as different and unmatched but that represent, in reality, the two sides of the same coin.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.Recent developments both in Turkey and its immediate neighbourhood have brought into sharp focus Turkey’s pivotal role in a region that has become increasingly challenging to the EU. These developments, for example, have prompted Ankara to declare more of an independent course of action both domestically and regionally and hasten into a détente with Russia. As a result, considerations of Turkey’s European future have been eclipsed by concerns about Ankara’s preference to aspire to being an independent regional power. Along with those about Turkey’s orientation, time-honored existential questions are being raised again: Is Turkey a border, a buffer, or a bridge between the EU and the Middle East?This book moves beyond the ‘identity’ debate between Turkey and the EU, and offers a guide at this critical time for drawing lessons from a rigorous examination of divergence and convergence between the EU and Turkey in three significant policy areas. The result of a focused research project conducted by a team of international policy experts from the Central European University (Budapest) and Sabanci University (Istanbul), the studies included in this volume suggest alternative scenarios regarding how Turkey and the EU might jointly develop effective energy, transport, and competition policies, regardless of Turkey’s EU candidacy status.These studies show how geo-strategic realities ultimately require Turkey to cooperate with the EU on a number of policy issues, despite Ankara’s rhetoric to the contrary. Turkey’s role as an energy supplier to the EU has never been dropped from Ankara’s policy agenda.More recently, the Turkish government has been announcing how its investments in the third bridge across the Bosporus would help to release untapped potential of land-based trade between Europe and Asia. Regardless of the current divergence of political visions, Turkey’s policy aims, at least in the three policy areas examined, foresee coordination, if not cooperation, with the EU.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.This book focuses on the EU ETS, the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme, backbone of the European Union strategy to combat climate change, and its industry competitiveness implications. In the light of the discussion of the revision for the coming years, it aims to provide a toolbox of key elements to understand its functioning and to reflect on crucial improvements.Specifically, besides a general overview of the first phases of the scheme and current difficulties, the book aims to (i) deploy an energy-intensive, sector-level analysis, with both reference to academic literature (ex ante and ex post studies, paying special attention to the underlying assumptions) and stakeholders positions on the carbon leakage issue; (ii) present an overview of the existing ETS policy measures and worldwide experiences; (iii) reflect on the ongoing reform for the post-2020 period, starting from the European Commission’s proposal and entering the technical and political debate taking place within the European institutions.“The EU ETS and the European industry competitiveness” provides the reader with a full understanding of the system, presenting problems, policy options, design aspects and global insights.It aims to identify potential improvements and to draw lessons for the coming years and the future phases, assessing if the current reform is actually on track to adequately protect business competitiveness.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.Sub-Saharan Africa is on the move. Since 2000, the region has seen rapid economic growth (with real GDP growth rates outperforming other major regional economic blocs), improving social conditions (with falling infant mortality rates and rising life expectancies) and progressive political liberalization (if in the 1990s only about 5% of African nations were considered to be democracies, today only a handful of the 55 African states do not have a multiparty constitutional system). Notwithstanding the fact that Africa’s energy sector is vital to its socio-economic development, this remains one of the most poorly understood parts of the global energy system.This book seeks to contribute to the understanding of such a topical issue, by providing an analysis of the current trends and future prospects of sub-Saharan energy markets. Issues covered include patterns of energy production, demand and trade; energy investments; energy infrastructure; energy access; energy and development; regional energy cooperation; the role of China in Africa’s energy.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.The EU’s gas market is at the very centre of the Energy Union, and is changing faster than ever before. Indeed, the European Council has stressed repeatedly the EU’s priority of ensuring its gas security, and promoting liquid and competitive gas markets across the whole of the EU.The Commission has already proposed a revision to the gas Security of Supply Regulation and negotiations are close to finalisation. In 2017, the Commission published an ‘LNG Strategy’.In terms of market integration, the progressive adoption of grid codes is further integrating markets, and the emergence of active trading hubs in North West Europe, is seeing the emergence of similar liquid markets throughout the EU. The EU has also been actively pursuing its aim of diversifying its sources of gas supplies, making progress in bringing the Southern Corridor to fruition, and is actively looking at other potential suppliers, for example in the Eastern Mediterranean. And in the competition policy field the Commission has equally been active, scrutinising the behaviour in particular of companies holding dominant positions in parts of the EU.This volume, introduced by EU Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias CAÑETE, brings together commentary and analysis by some of the leading Commission officials, lawyers and industry figures on all of these issues, offering a comprehensive overview of the challenges faced by the EU, its response, and the future direction of EU gas policy.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.Navigating the challenges of a low carbon Europe: energy market regulation, the future of RES, and ensuring security of supply.This book provides an insight into some of the most significant issues presented at the Florence School of Regulation and Hellenic Energy Regulation Institute’s joint conference on European energy law and policy, which took place in September 2016 in Athens, Greece.The purpose of the conference was to provide a comprehensive analysis of the current status of the European and Greek energy sector, and the issues it faces, from both a legal and an economic perspective.The discussions included an assessment of the low carbon challenges for Europe, examining the future of renewable energy systems and support mechanisms, electricity market design, and the current regulatory framework of the gas and electricity markets in Greece. Finally, the discussions turned to the future role of Distribution System Operators, both in their function as independent supervisors of the electricity market and in their evolving relationship with the Transmission System Operators.The publication seeks to critically examine the status of current and proposed draft provisions in EU energy law and practice, while evaluating anticipated future developments. Indeed, many of these highly significant developments are now particularly topical, following the launch of the Commission’s Clean Energy Package in late November 2016 and hence, the contributions to this volume provide useful insights into the advantages and disadvantages of the Commission’s proposal on the new market design.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.Since 2010, the Eastern Mediterranean region has become a hotspot of international energy discussions due to a series of gas discoveries in the offshore of Israel, Cyprus and Egypt.This book seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of all these developments, with the ultimate aim of assessing the realistic implications of regional gas discoveries for both Eastern Mediterranean countries and the EU.

This comprehensive book on the European energy transition has been written by more than 40 European leading energy- and climate experts. It reflects on the latest policy developments, as such as the Clean Energy for All Europeans Package, the Green Deal and the Climate Law. The energy transition is Europe’s flagship projects. It needs to provide sound answers to the climate and sustainability-, security of supply- and competitiveness imperatives. The energy transition corresponds to a large scale economic and cultural change. It encompasses sector coupling- linking up sectors that have ignored each other previously, like mobility and power. What is the meaning of digitalization, and how to face cyber-security risks? Can Europe deliver a 50-55% decrease in Greenhouse Gas Emissions, as is the agenda of the new von der Leyen Commission?This 2nd edition is not only updated, but also augmented with three new chapters : the first focusses on a European cross border carbon adjustment proposal (by Genevieve Pons, Pascal Lamy and Pierre Leturcq). This mechanism is a center piece in the European Green Deal and as such debated intensively. Two other chapters present the value-add and next steps for European network codes and guidelines (Alexander Dusolt, Leonardo Meeus).The book analyses the factors driving change: where are we on climate and sustainability, competitiveness and market, and security of supply? It presents the actors: what genesis of and what contemporary institutions for European energy policy, how is energy addressed by the national and by the European; what about the active customer paradigm and the many startups and business models changing, as well as NGOs? It investigates sectors: power, gas, mobility and the powerful push from digitalization.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.At the end of 2018 the EU agreed a wholesale overhaul of EU electricity laws with the 'Electricity Market Design' package. The aim of this package is to bring EU electricity law up to date, taking account of its aim to become completely decarbonised by 2050, and to deal with the rapidly increasing level of intermittent renewable electricity in the network.The share of electricity produced by renewable energy sources is expected to grow to more than 50% in 2030. With this in mind, the electricity market design framework has been modernised to deal with intermittency, with new provisions on storage, capacity mechanisms (introducing a new emissions limit for power plants eligible to receive subsidies) and demand response.In addition, the role of consumers in the future electricity market has been re-thought and incorporated in the Electricity Market Design, providing the right incentives for consumers to become more active and to contribute to keeping the electricity system stable, as well as new consumer rights.In order to increase the resilience of the EU electricity system, each EU country is in the future required to define Risk Preparedness plans to be ready to respond to unexpected situations, working closely with neighbouring member states.The new rules will be supported by a stronger role for the ACER Agency, which coordinates work among national energy regulators, providing additional powers and responsibilities, and thus ensuring that decisions are taken for making best use of an integrated EU energy market to the benefit of all EU citizens.This new volume, written by all the key Commission officials responsible for drafting, negotiating and now implementing this major new piece of legislation is essential reading for all those involved in the regulation and development of Europe's electricity industry.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.This comprehensive book on the European energy transition has been written by more than 40 European leading energy and climate experts. It reflects on the latest policy developments, as such as the Clean Energy for All Europeans Package, the Green Deal and the Climate Law. The energy transition is Europe’s flagship projects. It needs to provide sound answers to the climate and sustainability-, security of supply- and competitiveness imperatives. The energy transition corresponds to a large scale economic and cultural change. It encompasses sector coupling- linking up sectors that have ignored each other previously, like mobility and power. What is the meaning of digitalization, and how to face cybersecurity risks? Can Europe deliver a 50-55% decrease in Greenhouse Gas Emissions, as is the agenda of the new von der Leyen Commission?This 2nd edition is not only updated, but also augmented with three new chapters : the first focusses on a European cross border carbon adjustment proposal (by Genevieve Pons, Pascal Lamy and Pierre Leturcq). This mechanism is a center piece in the European Green Deal and as such debated intensively. Two other chapters present the value-add and next steps for European network codes and guidelines (Alexander Dusolt, Leonardo Meeus).The book analyses the factors driving change: where are we on climate and sustainability, competitiveness and market, and security of supply? It presents the actors: what genesis of and what contemporary institutions for European energy policy, how is energy addressed by the national and by the European; what about the active customer paradigm and the many startups and business models changing, as well as NGOs? It investigates sectors: power, gas, mobility and the powerful push from digitalization.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.This book examines developments in the European Union’s energy policy and particularly the way security of energy supply is taken into account and handled. As one of the three objectives of the EU energy policy, security of supply emerged as a central element of the policy, after the January 2009 gas crisis and with the consequences of the Fukushima events.The contributions to the book are made by the most informed people on the various subjects given their professional positions.It analyses the extensive developments of the concept toward energy security, the impact of the third internal market package on its reinforcement and the major role to be played by infrastructures in physically ensuring the security of supply. It comments on the most recent and relevant instruments adopted by the European Union in the field of oil, the so-called Oil stocks directive, and gas, the Regulation on Security of Gas Supply. In the field of electricity, it reports on the experience of the Transmission System Operators working together in the European Network (ENTSO-E) to guarantee security of supply. The external dimension of the EU energy policy is explained in as far as it aims at security of supply.Three illustrative cases are particularly studied: the Southern gas corridor development, the January 2009 gas crisis and the Baltic Energy Market Inter-connection Plan. The relevant EU legislative texts and the recent communications of the Commission on the subject are appended, to offer the direct references of what is discussed in the various sections. Foreword by Sir Philip Lowe, Former Director-General, DG ENER, EC.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.What is the European energy strategy for 2050? How different is it from the 2020 energy strategy? What are the technology options and what is the policy? This book discusses the European ‘2050 Energy Roadmap to a low Carbon Economy: Energy Policy & Innovation’.The book represents the outcome of the 3rd Academic Roundtable of the Loyola de Palacio Chair at the European University Institute held in Florence on the 24th of May 2011 and it introduces the reader to the most recent thinking regarding the European transition towards a low carbon future.The views presented include those of experts of the European Commission, major industry players, and prominent academics. Besides academic articles, speeches and opinions it contains reports of the THINK Tank of DG Energy hosted in Florence.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.Is the EU on the right track to meet its stated objective – a true European energy security policy? Is the current architecture on which the EU gas security of supply policy is built able to deliver those responses needed in order to meet the growing risks and changing realities EU gas security faces? How should European institutions and regulation adapt and respond? What tools are available to secure gas supply? This book feeds these questions by taking stock of today's EU gas security of supply governance.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.The purpose of this book is to propose an innovative vision on the development process of the enlarged Mediterranean region. Triangulating the Gulf Cooperation Council, North Africa and the European Union into a unique cooperation scheme, the book highlights the strong complementarity that exists between these regions in the field of renewable energy.The wide availability of Sovereign Wealth Funds' capital in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the great renewable energy potential of North Africa and the institutional support of the European Union are the three main pillars of this cooperation scheme. This triangulation would enhance not only the energy outlook of the overall Mediterranean region, but also its socio-economic development, ultimately promoting an enlarged area of cooperation, stability and peace.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.For almost 400 years, under the Westphalian system established in 1648, the classic notion of sovereignty has been the pillar of the international relations among States free to do what they want within their territory with the prohibition of intervention in one another’s affairs. Humanitarian crisis, international terrorism, weapon of mass destruction, failed states, pandemic, the increasing role of regional and international entities, ONG and financial entities have eroded the tenuous boundaries between the domestic and international notion of sovereignty.Sovereignty no longer provides protection to the State which to survive must cede some power in order to cope with the challenges of the new international order. However, despite the increasing number of actors in the international arena and the identity crisis of the notion of sovereignty, the State is bound to remain the lead actor on the global stage and, in this light, sovereignty can emerge stronger, provided it fully incorporates its responsibility towards the its own people and the entirety of the international community.

This book gives a comprehensive account of vertical restraints under EU competition law, providing in-depth guidance for practitioners and businesses, as well as valuable insights for scholars, while also contributing to the broader debate on the application of EU competition rules to vertical agreements.Following a detailed assessment of the current block exemption regulation, subsequent chapters address the key issues raised by the most common vertical restrictions and contractual models. These include resale price maintenance, exclusive distribution and customer allocation, selective distribution, single-branding, tying, franchise agreements, upfront access payments and category management, agency agreements, subcontracting agreements, and parity obligations.Key Features:Reference to different legal systems provides valuable points of comparisonBridges theory and practice, combining academic insight with practical guidanceStrong emphasis on economic analysis and how this informs enforcement practiceComprehensive coverage of the major types of vertical restraints, from traditional models to emerging contractual practicesThorough examination of digital challenges, including e-commerce, online platforms and the impact of digital transformation on distribution modelsVertical Restraints is an essential reference point for competition lawyers in private practice, in the legal departments of companies within the supply chains, and in public enforcement roles. It is also a valuable research resource for scholars in EU competition law.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.Infrastructures are the backbone of any economy and energy is vital to our way of life. Electricity transmission, gas and oil pipelines, smart grids, storage of energy and later on CO2 transport are essential elements of our present and future energy systems. The energy and climate policies conducted by the European Union since 2007 have led to the Third Energy Package governing the internal electricity and gas markets, to the Directive setting the target of 20% of renewable sources of energy by 2020, to the Energy Efficiency Directive and, most recently, to the Regulation establishing the guidelines on trans-European energy infrastructures and to the new financing programme called ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ (CEF).In five years' time, national energy policies have been drastically reshaped by the EU Directives and Regulations, now based on Article 194 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It is now time to understand fully the importance of these regulatory changes and the resulting ‘Europeanisation’ of the energy policy.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.The EU has developed an increasingly ambitious energy efficiency policy. In particular with the publication of an EU Energy Efficiency Action Plan in April 2000, the issue of efficiency has become a central concern of policy makers. The passage of the Energy Efficiency Directive underlines this trend: this is a piece of legislation which has the potential to profoundly influence the activity and behaviour of energy suppliers, consumers, energy service companies and others involved in the energy sector.This volume covers all areas of EU energy efficiency policy, from the objectives and strategic direction of policy at EU level, to the implications of EU policy for Member States and their energy efficiency action plans. Chapters are also devoted to exploring the implications of individual directives and regulations such as the Energy Efficiency Directive; the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive; the Eco Design Directive; and regulations pertaining to energy labelling of appliances.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.Waterborne transport is of crucial importance within the European Union. Almost 90% of the EU’s external freight trade and 40% of the intra EU exchanges of goods and passengers are carried by sea. 23 EU Member States are coastal states and 26 are Flag States. EU ship owners manage 30% of the world’s vessels and 35% of the global shipping tonnage. Each year, more than 400 million passengers pass through more than a 1.000 European ports. The Framework of the ‘Erika Packages’ has now added another imperative regulatory level to the existing global legal regime of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and to national laws.The EU has reacted to severe marine casualties in EU waters. As a result, almost all aspects of maritime transport and shipping are now regulated by EU Law. The Brussels Commentary on EU Maritime Law provides a comprehensive article-by-article analysis of the most relevant EU Regulations and EU Directives of the shipping sector.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.This timely book shows how the creation of a European Energy Union might be an effective and viable solution to the energy security problems that the European Union (EU) is facing. The aim is to make it easier to trade energy inside the EU. The EU currently has to rely on energy-rich countries for its energy needs, many of whom are politically and economically unstable. This places the EU in a vulnerable position. The book explores the institutional and legal framework for the creation of a European Energy Union, whose aim is to achieve affordable, secure and sustainable energy.This Energy Union is based on five pillars, which are analyzed:- security, solidarity and trust, the completion of a competitive internal market, moderation of demand, the decarbonization of the EU energy mix (i.e., greater use of renewable energy) and technologies.The book explores what the EU is politically prepared to accept as part of its united energy security. Combined with the perception of energy security being a pressing matter, the general disenchantment surrounding the European ideal in the wake of the economic crisis makes the task of ensuring affordable, secure and sustainable energy a formidable challenge. In that vein, the European Energy Union could well be the flagship of this new outset towards a more prosperous, energy-secure and uni ted Europe, bearing in mind that EU Member States wish to guard their sovereignty over national energy systems. In the past, there have been divisions between EU Member States when trying to draft a united energy policy. The European Energy Union tries to rectify this defficiency. This book proposes the emulation of the EU's common commercial policy to reach a common position in EU energy policy. It analyzes the role of the Energy Community and the Euro-Mediterranean Energy Partnership as avenues to further integrate energy markets beyond European borders, especially with the Eastern and Southern neighbors of the EU. It also dwells on the advancements that could arise in terms of pan-European energy infrastructure through the anticipated financial boost resulting from, inter alia, the Investment Plan for Europe, the European Structural and Investment funds, and the Connecting Europe Facility.Finally, it provides an analysis of climate change mitigation by focusing on the importance of decarbonizing the economy and analyzing the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.In the European Union there is an important reason to fight cartels, related to the political objective of market integration pursued by the Community institutions. International cartels can seriously undermine the efforts to create a truly integrated European market.This Second Edition provides a unique insight of Europe’s leading experts on how to deal with cartel cases in practice before both the European Commission and the European Courts. With over 1200 pages of text, analysis and annexes it is essential reading and reference for all practitioners, advisors and academics working in this area.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.With the adoption of its 2005 Action Plan, the European Commission has launched a major reform of its State Aid policy. New Rules on research and development and innovation, risk capital, regional policy and services of general economic interest have recently been adopted.This book explains in detail the substance and procedure established by the EU Treaty rules on State Aid, as well as covering these major changes. It also provides an exhaustive guide to the major upheaval of the Commission’s State Aid policy that has taken place in recent years.This second edition of the State aid volumes constitutes a state of the art description and analysis of all aspects of the State aid discipline. Above all, it sets out all the novelties of the State Aid Modernisation programme which was launched in 2012 and completed in summer 2014. The new edition reviews all major guidelines, frameworks and legislation, including the Procedural Regulation, the Enabling Regulation, the General block exemption Regulation and the de minimis Regulation. The book explains the Commission's overall approach to compatibility of State aid, describes the new common principles for assessment and discusses the new requirements for evaluation and transparency. It gives a detailed account of the new rules on research, development and innovation, energy and environment (including the ETS), risk capital and risk finance, regional development, and rescue and restructuring of firms in difficulty.The book also explains the first rules ever adopted by the Commission on important projects of common European interest. It discusses the relationship between State aid and the Structural Funds, in particular in light of the new use of those funds via financial instruments. All the main economic sectors affected by the modernisation programme are discussed, including broadband, cinema, public service broadcasting, aviation, maritime and land transport, agriculture and fisheries.A special section is dedicated to services of general economic interest, introducing the new SGEI package and explaining how it has been applied. The section on banking provides a full account of how the rules and enforcement practice have evolved since the start of the financial crisis and discusses the issues which arise with the introduction of the new regulatory framework for a European Banking Union. The notion of aid section takes account of the most recent jurisprudence of the Union Courts and the Commission's decisional practice, thereby addressing issues frequently faced by practitioners and public authorities.Above all, the new edition builds on the hands-on expertise of many authors who have been dealing with State aid cases in the recent past.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing. Since the publication of the Fourth Edition in 2016 the EU's internal gas and electricity legislative framework has continued to develop quickly:A whole series of new Grid Codes have been adopted, including those on Capacity Allocation and, Congestion Management, on forward capacity allocation, on electricity balancing (EB), emergency and restoration, and on electricity transmission system operation.The Gas Directive has been amended, to bring pipelines connecting into the European system under the Internal Market rules on unbundling, regulated tariffs and third party access.The 'Electricity Market Design' package has been adopted, implementing new rules on balancing, capacity mechanisms, demand response, storage, the rights of consumers to participate in the electricity market and the powers and responsibilities of ACER.New exemption decisions for new infrastructureThese changes mark a major evolution in the EU's Internal Market, as it pioneers the way towards a zero-carbon electricity system.The new volume continues to provide the standard industry reference work in this area, written by some of the key Commission Officials responsible for these developments, together with leading industry practitioners and academics.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing.Competition policy continues to evolve rapidly in the energy sector, in line with the speed of change in energy markets. As markets decarbonise, new competition challenges develop, as 'traditional' hydrocarbons industries contract and renewables ones explode. Markets are changing, and competition policy with it.The new, 5th, edition reflects these changes. The Commission continued to enforce competition law vigorously in the energy sector. The Gazprom case was brought to an end with the acceptance of commitments aimed to address the Commission’s main concerns, including market segmentation, excessive pricing and potential competitive distortions in the development of gas infrastructure. Other cases were concluded as well, such as the Commission’s investigation into access to key natural gas infrastructure in Bulgaria, leading to fines being imposed on the incumbent gas operator. Further, the Commission launched an investigation into restrictions to the free flow of gas sold by Qatar Petroleum in Europe. On the mergers side, the acquisition of Uniper by Fortum, two important electricity suppliers in the Nordic region was cleared unconditionally, not least because of the high level of interconnectivity between different countries in the Nordic area, indicating a step-change in market definition. RWE's acquisition of E.ON electricity generation assets was also approved. An in-depth review of E.ON's proposed acquisition of RWE’s Innogy is now ongoing.Finally, we saw a remarkable amount of activity in the field of State Aid. The Commission finalised its sector inquiry on capacity mechanisms, looking at 35 existing or planned mechanisms in 11 Member States.The final report was published at the end of 2016, together with legislative proposals on the 'Clean Energy for All' package. Renewable energy schemes continued to throw up new challenges. Specific capacity mechanisms were approved in several Member States over this period. Transparent, balanced, market-oriented enforcement of State Aid rules will be key in pursuing the transition to a decarbonised energy model, so this important area will continue to attract attention over the coming years.This new edition is an essential reference work for all practitioners and academics in the area. It has established itself as the leading work on competition and energy.