Implementing EU Renewable Energy Policy at the Subnational Level

Author(s):  
Gilles Lepesant

The European Union (EU) has set targets for gradually reducing greenhouse gas emissions through 2050. One of the instruments involved is the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive, which specifies a 20 per cent renewable energy target for the EU by 2020. The chapter reviews tensions and institutional innovations that can arise at local and regional levels within the context of the implementation of this policy. Drawing on empirical evidence collected in two regions, one in a federal country (Brandenburg in Germany), one in a unitary state (Aquitaine in France), the chapter describes the factors that determine community and market acceptance of renewable energies, suggesting that appropriate multi-level governance schemes are instrumental in the successful adoption and implementation of EU priorities at the local level.

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 344-353
Author(s):  
Dejan Ž. Đorđević ◽  
Milan Veselinović

AbstractThe policy of renewable energy sources has gained more importance over recent years. The European Union is facing serious challenges regarding greenhouse gas emissions and energy sustainability, followed by the supply security, import dependence and competitiveness as well as the effective implementation of the internal energy market. The energy policy of the European Union is the most effective response to the new situation the member states of the European Union are facing. The EU energy policy aims to cause a new industrial revolution and the growth of the economic energy efficiency with low emissions of carbon dioxide. In order to achieve this, targets have been set for the future. Among them is the increase in the share of production and consumption of renewable energy in the total energy balance.


Author(s):  
Tatyana B. Ruseva ◽  
Maria A. Petrova

As a member of the European Union (EU), Bulgaria has been implementing the EU's policy targets designed to increase the share of renewable energy (RE) use in gross final energy consumption by 2020. The target for Bulgaria, set at 16%, was accomplished eight years earlier than mandated, in 2012. The result of rapid but poorly regulated growth in renewables—seemingly a success story—illustrates the potential pitfalls of RE policy implementation. Having met its target, Bulgaria undertook a series of restrictive policy measures that undermined short-term RE growth, increased regulatory uncertainty and market stagnation. The objective of this chapter is to understand the factors that shaped these unintended policy measures and outcomes. Drawing on key informant interviews, the chapter presents a case study of renewable energy policy implementation in a multi-level governance system and illustrates the boomerang effects associated with top-down policy implementation.


Author(s):  
Tatyana B. Ruseva ◽  
Maria A. Petrova

As a member of the European Union (EU), Bulgaria has been implementing the EU's policy targets designed to increase the share of renewable energy (RE) use in gross final energy consumption by 2020. The target for Bulgaria, set at 16%, was accomplished eight years earlier than mandated, in 2012. The result of rapid but poorly regulated growth in renewables—seemingly a success story—illustrates the potential pitfalls of RE policy implementation. Having met its target, Bulgaria undertook a series of restrictive policy measures that undermined short-term RE growth, increased regulatory uncertainty and market stagnation. The objective of this chapter is to understand the factors that shaped these unintended policy measures and outcomes. Drawing on key informant interviews, the chapter presents a case study of renewable energy policy implementation in a multi-level governance system and illustrates the boomerang effects associated with top-down policy implementation.


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