Europeanization of the Swiss Energy System

Switzerland and the EU have been negotiating an electricity agreement since 2007. Irrespective of the outcome of these negotiations, whose success is also dependent on other factors, European energy policy will influence the framework conditions and players in Switzerland’s energy policy. The effects of a «Europeanization» of Swiss energy policy are the primary interest of this book. It focuses on the influence of current and future EU policies on the (regulatory) framework and policy instruments in Switzerland, including the effects on public and private actors active in the Swiss energy sector. It will also present the consequences of the possible integration of Swiss energy policy into the complex European multi-level governance system, taking into account two scenarios: the «direct Europeanization» in case of the conclusion of a bilateral electricity agreement between Switzerland and the EU as well as the possible «indirect Europeanization» in the sense of autonomous adjustments to European policies.