Abstract
The countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have commonly been regarded as climate and energy policy laggards blocking more ambitious EU decarbonization targets. Although recent literature has increasingly acknowledged the differences in national positions on energy and climate issues among these states, there has been little comprehensive evidence about their positioning on EU climate and energy policies and the domestic interests which shape government preferences. The article addresses this gap by tracing the voting behavior of six CEE countries (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania) on EU energy-related legislation in the Council of Ministers between 2007–2018. The article shows that the contestation of energy policies, particularly of climate-related legislation, in the Council of Ministers has increased over time and that these six CEE countries have indeed most often objected to the adoption of EU legislation. The CEE states do not, however, have a common regional positioning on all EU energy policies. Voting coalitions among the six CEE countries differ substantially across energy policy areas. The lack of a common regional position and changing national preferences have enabled the adoption of a relatively ambitious EU Energy and Climate Package for 2030. The differences in national voting patterns are explained by the evolving interests and the ability of key domestic political and economic actors to adapt to and explore benefits from the ever-expanding EU energy and climate policies.
Highlights
During the last decade, formulating a common and comprehensive European Union (EU) energy policy has required the traversing of a long and bumpy road
The six Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries in particular have been described as climate and energy policy laggards opposing stricter EU goals in the decarbonization of the energy sector (Braun, 2014; Skjærseth, 2018)
We argue that different national adaptation capacities, in terms of ability and willingness of domestic energy business interests and governments in the six CEE countries to adapt to the new incentives and opportunities offered by different EU energy and climate policies, have led to the divergence of interests and weakening of a common regional position
Summary
During the last decade, formulating a common and comprehensive European Union (EU) energy policy has required the traversing of a long and bumpy road. The EU’s climate and energy policy framework was first enacted in 2009 laying out the 2020 goals in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas emissions reductions The latter was to be Politics and Governance, 2019, Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 124–138 achieved mainly through the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). The policy process has been a relative success, in view of the modest ambition and political saturation signaled by the European Council in 2014 (General Secretariat of the Council, 2014) This raises the question about the reasons behind the recent positive policy developments and the lessons to be drawn for the future of the Energy Union and national clean energy transitions. We offer some evidence on the reasons behind the common and/or diverging voting patterns of the six CEE countries by focusing on domestic vested interests and drawing on the insights from political economy and energy transitions studies. We draw policy-relevant conclusions from the interplay between EU policies and domestic structures for the future prospects of the Energy Union and of national clean energy transitions
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