Building Europe’s Energy: from Euratom to a New European Energy Plan

Starting from the observation of the current Europe’s profound political and economic crisis within the broader context of the ongoing reconfiguration of the international order, this article argues that the process of European economic integration should be relaunched through the energy sector. As a strategic driver of global development, energy represents a key institutional laboratory for reshaping the international order on liberal, peaceful and federal principles. To this end, Euratom is presented as a reference model for the renewed development of a European energy policy. Alongside Euratom, the article considers the Juncker Plan and the European Investment Bank (EIB), whose role in promoting investment mobilisation was significantly strengthened by the Plan. It argues that a new European energy plan could emerge from the integration of these three pillars, thereby building on the European Union’s institutional acquis.