Dynamics and drivers of shale gas development in three European countries: can a European policy be imagined?

The European Commission introduced in its Work Programme 2013 an action regarding “Environmental climate and energy assessment framework to enable safe and secure unconventional hydrocarbon extraction”.
After having assessed the existing legislative framework appropriateness regarding climate and environmental impacts of shale gas development in Europe, and having noted some improvements that could be proposed when using the hydraulic fracturing technique, the debate is now shifting to address the issue of the good governance level. To what extent a European initiative could be more effective or comprehensive than national legislation? In particular, it remains unclear whether a common EU policy that goes beyond environmental and climate measures can be built to regulate the industrial exploitation of shale gas in Europe.
However, before talking about a common European shale gas policy, it is necessary to look at the status of projects and initiatives at the national level. It appears that only three states have begun the process of developing shale gas resources at large scale, Denmark, Poland and the United Kingdom. Indeed, other countries with significant resources have banned exploration or hydraulic fracturing technique (France, Bulgaria), suspended the activity (Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic), or have just begun to consider operations (Romania, Spain).Therefore, an analysis of the characteristics of shale gas development in these three countries can actually give a picture of the on-going process of developing large-scale shale gas in Europe and assess whether a common European framework would be more suitable than the current national legislations.
(To Read the Full Text, Download the document).
Available in:
Regions and themes
ISBN / ISSN
Share
Download the full analysis
This page contains only a summary of our work. If you would like to have access to all the information from our research on the subject, you can download the full version in PDF format.
Dynamics and drivers of shale gas development in three European countries: can a European policy be imagined?
Related centers and programs
Discover our other research centers and programsFind out more
Discover all our analysesThe Strategic Dimension of Power System Flexibility: Opportunities in Europe
The European Union has embarked on an energy transition aimed primarily at replacing fossil fuels by electrifying demand.
Energy Developments in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (UK) has traditionally been an example for its neighbours and the world in developing ambitious, innovative and effective energy policies.
India’s Green Hydrogen Strategy in Action: Policy Actions, Market Insights, and Global Opportunities
India is poised to remain the world’s fastest-growing major economy, and this rapid growth is driving a sharp rise in energy demand. As the most populous country on the planet, India urgently needs to decarbonize its energy systems.
Water in Mexico: an Emergency that Will Wait
Access to water is already and will become increasingly problematic for Mexican economic actors due to the progressive scarcity of the resource resulting from climate change, a geographical distribution that does not coincide with that of the population or economic activity, and management that has so far been far too lax.