Market integration through 'network governance': the role of European agencies and network of regulators

The institutional design of EU energy and telecoms regulation has evolved in the last two decades. Mechanisms to encourage cooperation between national regulators have progressively been established: first, loose networks of regulators, then enhanced networks of regulators and eventually stronger and more formal forms of coordination, through European agencies or other new institutional models. In the energy field, a true ‘networked’ European agency has been created: the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). In telecoms, a two-tier institutional structure has been set up: the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) and the Office. The features of ACER and BEREC show the intention to institutionalise the existing networks of regulators and confer a higher status upon them, with a strengthened and recognised position in the EU. However, this process raises concerns of legitimacy and accountability.