This book furthers the ongoing theoretical development of the multiple streams framework
assessing its applicability to European Union (EU) policy-making processes. It systematically
defines and identifies functional equivalents for all of the framework's core concepts at the
EU level and extends the framework in order to explain agenda-setting and decision-making.
Furthermore the book derives a set of explicit hypotheses to empirically assess the extent to
which the (modified) framework is able to explain timing agenda prominence and policy change
(or a lack thereof) for the EU natural gas directives passed in 1998 2003 and 2009. The
analysis documents that the framework is well-suited to explain the EU policy process in
general and reveals where additional theoretical refinements are required.
