Shaping Energy Conditionality: A Process-Tracing Study of the REPowerEU Amendment and Czechia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan

This thesis examines how the European Commission exercised influence over the revision of the Czech Republic’s Recovery and Resilience Plan under the REPowerEU amendment. Using the Principal-Agent theory, this thesis assesses whether the Commission’s formally delegated role enabled it to shape the content of national energy policy through conditional approval and oversight procedures. While the theory assumes a hierarchical delegation from Member States to the Commission, this case allows for an exploration of potential agency expansion during crisis governance. The research employs a qualitative process-tracing approach to identify and examine the causal mechanisms of Commission influence, with a specific focus on the roles of conditionality, guidance, and informal negotiation. Empirical evidence is drawn from Commission documents, Council decisions, and Czech government materials. By testing theoretical expectations in a case where the Member State was particularly affected by the...Show moreThis thesis examines how the European Commission exercised influence over the revision of the Czech Republic’s Recovery and Resilience Plan under the REPowerEU amendment. Using the Principal-Agent theory, this thesis assesses whether the Commission’s formally delegated role enabled it to shape the content of national energy policy through conditional approval and oversight procedures. While the theory assumes a hierarchical delegation from Member States to the Commission, this case allows for an exploration of potential agency expansion during crisis governance. The research employs a qualitative process-tracing approach to identify and examine the causal mechanisms of Commission influence, with a specific focus on the roles of conditionality, guidance, and informal negotiation. Empirical evidence is drawn from Commission documents, Council decisions, and Czech government materials. By testing theoretical expectations in a case where the Member State was particularly affected by the energy price shock following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the thesis contributes to ongoing debates about supranational authority and EU crisis governance. The thesis starts with a review of relevant literature and the Principal-Agent theoretical framework, through methodological justification and case selection, to an empirically grounded analysis of the Czech Republic’s REPowerEU process and the Commission’s role within it.Show less

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Shaping Energy Conditionality: A Process-Tracing Study of the REPowerEU Amendment and Czechia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan