Coherent or inconsistent? Assessing energy security and climate policy interaction within the European Union

Abstract

Energy security has become a key priority in the European Union's (EU) policy. However, climate change mitigation commitments run in parallel. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the extent to which the EU's climate change mitigation and energy security policies are coherent. The relationship is far from clear-cut, as both areas are complex and wide-ranging. We use a simple assessment framework, which juxtaposes the main components of the two policy domains and characterizes the interactions between them. Our assessment shows that there is general coherence between several policy subfields, but a number of policy interactions require policy-makers’ attention. The coherence between energy security and climate mitigation policies will depend on ancillary policy measures and the evolution of external drivers, such as global gas markets. Furthermore, the future outlook of how the EU's energy policy will affect climate change mitigation and vice versa will depend on how the future energy security agenda is framed. A move to a nationally fragmented energy security frame would lead to greater policy conflicts, while a coordinated European energy security frame could increase policy coherence.