‘When in a hole, keep digging’. How the EUCO system process managed its way to an energy price cap
本文分析欧盟理事会体系如何通过过程管理，在成员国分歧严重的情况下，成功推动能源价格上限政策，挑战了以结果为导向的危机管理思路。
This article analyses how the European Council, and its support structures, have been dealing with the energy crisis.On a theoretical level, it sheds light on how the EUCO system deals with polycrisis, which requires high-level political engagement, combined with deep technical expertise and out-of-the-box thinking.I contend that in a polycrisis the process as such can become an important part of the solution, thereby challenging outcome-oriented approaches to EU crisis management.I use embedded process tracing to analyse, in real-time, how the EUCO system sought to shape and steer policymaking on energy prices.The analysis shows how, in spite of deep divisions between member states, the EUCO system 'process managed' its way out of this politics trap, and managed to square the circle on the issue of a price cap.Through positive politicisation, the EUCO system prevented an oscillating process from derailing, and eventually tunnelled a way out.