IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/poango/v7y2019i1p17-27.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Hard or Soft Governance? The EU’s Climate and Energy Policy Framework for 2030

Author

Listed:
  • Sebastian Oberthür

    (Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium)

Abstract

This article investigates the stringency of EU climate and energy governance along the soft-hard continuum as a key determinant of its ability to achieve its ambitions. It introduces four criteria for a systematic and differentiated assessment of the bindingness/stringency of legislative instruments and governance frameworks, namely: (1) formal legal status, (2) the nature of the obligations (substantive—procedural), (3) their precision and prescriptiveness, and (4) the means for effecting accountability and effective implementation. The application of this assessment framework to the EU’s Climate and Energy Policy Framework for 2030 in comparison with the preceding 2020 Framework and the international Paris Agreement on climate change demonstrates the added value of this approach. The focus is on regulations, adopted in 2018, regarding greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy (RE), and energy efficiency as well as the surrounding framework for planning, reporting, monitoring, and enforcement. The EU’s 2030 Framework scores high on the four criteria. Despite implementing the comparatively soft Paris Agreement, it does not fall behind the stringency of the 2020 Framework, as the abandoning of binding national targets for RE is balanced by strengthened obligations to prepare national plans, long-term strategies, and regular progress reports, as well as the enhanced monitoring and supervisory powers of the European Commission. While actual delivery will not least depend on how the Commission will use its established and newly acquired powers and tools, the 2030 Framework reinforces EU interest in strengthening international climate governance under the Paris Agreement.

Suggested Citation

  • Sebastian Oberthür, 2019. "Hard or Soft Governance? The EU’s Climate and Energy Policy Framework for 2030," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(1), pages 17-27.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v7:y:2019:i:1:p:17-27
    DOI: 10.17645/pag.v7i1.1796
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/1796
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17645/pag.v7i1.1796?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robert O. Keohane & Michael Oppenheimer, 2016. "Paris: Beyond the Climate Dead End through Pledge and Review?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 142-151.
    2. Ringel, Marc & Knodt, Michèle, 2018. "The Governance of the European Energy Union: Efficiency, effectiveness and acceptance of the Winter Package 2016," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 110990, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    3. Robert O. Keohane & Michael Oppenheimer, 2016. "Paris: Beyond the Climate Dead End through Pledge and Review?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 142-151.
    4. Kacper Szulecki & Severin Fischer & Anne Therese Gullberg & Oliver Sartor, 2016. "Shaping the ‘Energy Union': between national positions and governance innovation in EU energy and climate policy," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(5), pages 548-567, July.
    5. Guri Bang & Jon Hovi & Tora Skodvin, 2016. "The Paris Agreement: Short-Term and Long-Term Effectiveness," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 209-218.
    6. Keohane, Robert O. & Moravcsik, Andrew & Slaughter, Anne-Marie, 2000. "Legalized Dispute Resolution: Interstate and Transnational," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 54(3), pages 457-488, July.
    7. Guri Bang & Jon Hovi & Tora Skodvin, 2016. "The Paris Agreement: Short-Term and Long-Term Effectiveness," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 209-218.
    8. Abbott, Kenneth W. & Snidal, Duncan, 2000. "Hard and Soft Law in International Governance," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 54(3), pages 421-456, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sebastian Oberthür, 2019. "Hard or Soft Governance? The EU’s Climate and Energy Policy Framework for 2030," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(1), pages 17-27.
    2. Stefano Ghinoi & Bodo Steiner, 2020. "The Political Debate on Climate Change in Italy: A Discourse Network Analysis," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 215-228.
    3. Jon Hovi & Tora Skodvin, 2016. "Editorial to the Issue on Climate Governance and the Paris Agreement," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 111-114.
    4. Jon Hovi & Tora Skodvin, 2016. "Editorial to the Issue on Climate Governance and the Paris Agreement," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 111-114.
    5. Christian Elliott & Steven Bernstein & Matthew Hoffmann, 2022. "Credibility dilemmas under the Paris agreement: explaining fossil fuel subsidy reform references in INDCs," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 735-759, December.
    6. Kacper Szulecki & Dag Herald Claes, 2019. "Towards Decarbonization: Understanding EU Energy Governance," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(1), pages 1-5.
    7. Tatjana Stankovic & Jon Hovi & Tora Skodvin, 2023. "The Paris Agreement’s inherent tension between ambition and compliance," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-6, December.
    8. Roman Vavrek & Jana Chovancová, 2020. "Energy Performance of the European Union Countries in Terms of Reaching the European Energy Union Objectives," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-16, October.
    9. Eric Brousseau & Yves Schemeil and Jérôme Sgard, 2011. "Sovereignty without Borders: On Individual Rights, the Delegation to Rule, and Globalization," EUI-RSCAS Working Papers 28, European University Institute (EUI), Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies (RSCAS).
    10. Caroline Bertram & Hermine Coppenolle, 2024. "Strengthening the Paris Agreement through trade? The potential and limitations of EU preferential trade agreements for climate governance," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 589-610, December.
    11. Thomas Hale, 2020. "Catalytic Cooperation," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 20(4), pages 73-98, Autumn.
    12. Stefano Ghinoi & Bodo Steiner, 2020. "The Political Debate on Climate Change in Italy: A Discourse Network Analysis," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 215-228.
    13. Tanja A. Börzel & Tobias Hofmann & Diana Panke, 2011. "Policy Matters But How? Explaining Non-Compliance Dynamics in the EU," KFG Working Papers p0024, Free University Berlin.
    14. Tørstad, Vegard & Wiborg, Vegard, 2023. "Commitment Ambiguity and Ambition in Climate Pledges," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt7gd693zp, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    15. Emilia Justyna Powell & Krista E. Wiegand, 2010. "Legal Systems and Peaceful Attempts to Resolve Territorial Disputes," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 27(2), pages 129-151, April.
    16. Yoram Z. Haftel & Alexander Thompson, 2006. "The Independence of International Organizations," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 50(2), pages 253-275, April.
    17. Jale Tosun & Laura Zöckler & Benedikt Rilling, 2019. "What Drives the Participation of Renewable Energy Cooperatives in European Energy Governance?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(1), pages 45-59.
    18. Eric Brousseau & Yves Schemeil & Jérôme Sgard, 2011. "Constitutional Rights; Economic dynamics; Vertical bargaining; state; global reordering; Legal order; public bureaucracies," RSCAS Working Papers 2011/28, European University Institute.
    19. Bruch, Nils & Knodt, Michèle & Ringel, Marc, 2024. "Advocating harder soft governance for the European Green Deal. Stakeholder perspectives on the revision of the EU governance regulation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    20. Don Moon, 2006. "Equality and Inequality in the WTO Dispute Settlement (DS) System: Analysis of the GATT/WTO Dispute Data," International Interactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 201-228, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v7:y:2019:i:1:p:17-27. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: António Vieira or IT Department (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.