La sicurezza energetica: illusioni, sfide e prospettive

Energy security, in light of the so-called energy trilemma, is generally understood as «the uninterrupted physical availability of energy at a reasonable price, while taking due account of environmental concerns». Starting from this premise, and adopting the perspective of administrative law, the concept of energy security will be specifically examined with reference to the issue of securing the supply of the energy mix; of physical or material security of energy plants and networks; and, furthermore, as a factor contributing to the competitiveness of undertakings, as well as an instrument for territorial and social cohesion. In the face of the increasingly intense struggle among States, or, more broadly, among the principal geopolitical axes, primarily over access to energy supplies, energy security ultimately emerges both as a visible expression of sovereignty in international relations and as a phenomenon capable of producing significant effects on the relationship between the State and the market. With regard to the issue, or rather, the multiple issues, of energy security, it is therefore legitimate to ask what the role of public actors at both European and national level is, or ought to be, today. At the same time, it is necessary to consider whether there exists a «hard» and irreducible public core of tasks and functions that must necessarily be entrusted to such actors.