Phase structure and confinement properties of noncompact gauge theories II. Z(N) Wilson loop and effective noncompact model

An approach to studying lattice gauge models in the weak coupling region is proposed. Conceptually, it is based on the crucial role of the original Z(N) symmetry and the invariant gauge group measure. As an example, we calculate an effective model from the compact Wilson formulation of the SU(2) gauge theory in $d=3D3$ dimensions at zero temperature. Confining properties and phase structure of the effective model are studied in details.