National and Transnational Responses to the 1973 Oil Crisis

• Department of History

PhD thesis defence by Maria Sole Barbieri

The 1973 oil shock marked a turning point in the European Community’s (EC) debate over energy policy. While affecting member states unevenly, the crisis revealed a shared view of energy as a national concern, rather than a Community-wide priority. Ultimately, national agendas were prioritised over Community solutions, leading to inconsistent and largely ineffective progress toward energy policy integration. This perception of energy security as a national rather than collective concern effectively undermined efforts to establish a cohesive, integrated energy policy at the EC level. In this context, this thesis identifies the establishment of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in 1974 as a landmark event that disrupted the cohesion of the EC. While the IEA was conceived as a multilateral framework to coordinate responses to the oil crisis, only eight out of the nine EC member states chose to join the organisation. France, however, opted not to join, advocating instead for the creation of a Community energy policy.

This thesis investigates the European Community’s failed attempts at a unified energy policy between the 1973 and 1979 oil crises, integrating national, transnational, and international dimensions through the comparative case studies of France and Italy. As major oil importers, the two countries faced comparable challenges and adopted apparently similar strategies, yet with markedly different outcomes. Their divergent paths are examined through the lens of their domestic policies, positions within the EC, and relations with oil-producing countries.