The Regional Energy and Climate Governance: Prospects for Energy Community Contracting Parties in the Aftermath of the European Green Deal

Abstract

Abstract All research begins with questions, so here are three: (1) How does the European Green Deal, as a revamped growth strategy of the European Union, foster energy and climate governance in Southeast Europe? (2) What are the key legal instruments and their characteristics of a potential regionalisation of energy and climate governance in the Energy Community Contracting Parties? And (3), to what extent do extra factors of the Green Deal-related legislation expediate the development of a framework for such regional energy and climate governance? Tackling these questions, the research first conceptualizes the Green Deal by unveiling its ‘just transition’ dimension and legal implementation structures. Upon identifying EU’s ex post Green Deal external energy and climate competence, the paper further examines stringency of EU energy and climate governance mechanisms within the Energy Community. In doing so, it gauges the insights of the Governance Regulation and provides the rationale of soft instruments of network cooperation in the areas where blackletter law is somewhat cryptic and complex. Finally, this article outlines the perspectives for future research specifically focusing on the policy fields arising from the EU’s Fit-for-55 package.