European Policy Makers Research Articles

Evaluation of hydrogen transportation networks - A case study on the German energy system

Not only due to the energy crisis European policymakers are exploring options to substitute natural gas with renewable hydrogen. A condition for the application of hydrogen is a functioning transportation infrastructure. However, the most efficient transport of large hydrogen quantities is still unclear, and deeper analyses are missing. A promising option is converting the existing gas infrastructure. This study presents a novel approach to develop hydrogen networks by applying the Steiner tree algorithm to derive candidates and evaluate their costs. This method uses the existing grid (brownfield) and is compared to a newly built grid (Greenfield). The goal is the technical and economic evaluation and comparison of hydrogen network candidates.The methodology is applied to the German gas grid and demand and supply scenarios covering the industry, heavy-duty transport, power, and heating sector, imports, and domestic production. Five brownfield candidates are compared to a greenfield candidate. The candidates differ by network length and pipeline diameters to consider the transported volume of hydrogen. The economic evaluation concludes that most brownfield candidates' cost is significantly lower than those of the greenfield candidate. The candidates can serve as starting points for flow simulations, and policymakers can estimate the cost based on the results.

From Hamiltonian Dreams to Maastricht Reality: “Whatever It Takes” 2.0?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the institutional architecture of the euro area has been tested again. While some authors argue that European policy makers have learnt from their economic policy mistakes during the sovereign debt crisis, or even talk about the “European Hamiltonian moment”, the opportunity to fundamentally strengthen the institutional foundations of the currency union has been missed again. While public attention has been focused mostly on the creation of the so-called “Next Generation EU” (NGEU) fund, it was the ECB that quietly performed the key role of crisis manager, despite criticism of a weak initial crisis response and botched communication. Based on the synthetic framework of the classical integration theories, the principal-agent model and new intergovernmentalism, the ECB’s pandemic crisis response could be interpreted as its second “whatever it takes” moment.

The many faces of the politics of shame in European policymaking

This paper analyzes shaming attempts in the European Parliament (EP) over a long period. Drawing on existing literature on shaming and stigmatization in International Relations, as well as on studies on blame avoidance (Public administration), this paper explores the extent to which (and how) shaming attempts were used in day-to-day European policymaking. The paper first shows how the word ‘shame’ has been employed by key policymakers in different policy areas. Data analyzed include EP speech acts (mainly debates) from 1994 to 2014. The second part of the paper consists of an interpretative and contextualizing qualitative analysis, exploring in-depth social and economic policy areas. This paper shows that, in these policy areas, shaming attempts have often served as an ideological tool, or have become entangled in turf wars between supranational institutions and Member States. The in-depth study also illustrates the circumstances under which shaming attempts have led to compliance, non-compliance or shame backlashes.

How do nature governance rules affect compliance decisions? An experimental analysis

In an age of unprecedented decline in global biodiversity levels, the task of designing laws that effectively protect nature and biodiversity is urgent. To help address this enforcement deficit, European policymakers have sought to democratise environmental enforcement by conferring citizens and environmental nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) with legal rights of access to environmental information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters, derived from an international treaty known as the UNECE Aarhus Convention (the so-called “Aarhus mechanisms”). However, there has been little systematic empirical research to date on the effectiveness of this new wave of private nature governance laws, and their impacts on compliance decisions. This paper seeks to address this gap. We investigate, by means of a laboratory experiment with student participants, the extent to which different nature governance rules affect individuals' decisions to comply. By nature governance rules, we mean the legal tools used to promote compliance with nature conservation rules, including traditional governance rules such as criminal penalties and civil fines, but also the new generation of private governance rules, in the form of the Aarhus mechanisms. Our findings provide new empirical experimental confirmation that traditional and private environmental governance rules together achieve more effective nature conservation outcomes than traditional governance rules alone. They also suggest, however, that private governance rules may lead to some duplication of enforcement effort by the State and citizens.

Steering ‘green’ innovation policy toward sustainability? Lessons from implementing EIP-AGRI in Sweden

This article critically examines the state's steering capacity of ‘green innovation’ programs using Sweden's implementation of the agricultural European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI) as a case representing part of the EU's Green Deal. The innovations should promote the competitiveness of rural areas and contribute to national environmental protection and climate goals.We found that despite expectations, implementation rests on compartmentalized networking within the agricultural sector, prioritizing increased ‘competitiveness’ before ‘green’ development, and interpreting ‘innovation’ mainly in the technical sense. The results indicate that the state´s steering capacity of ‘green innovation’ programs meets several obstacles: the overall goals from the top tend to be both too many and too vague, leaving it to the administration to interpret what kinds of features should be prioritized from below. The state's steering in the case of EIP-AGRI relies mostly on internal agricultural expertise contrary to previous research that suggests a recent ‘de-compartmentalisation’ of European agricultural policymaking.

Governing Platform Recommender Systems in Europe: Insights from China

Abstract Platform Recommender Systems (PRSs) are the algorithmic systems employed by online platforms to recommend content to users. These systems have been recently targeted by policy-makers in Europe, mainly in the Digital Services Act (DSA). While much is discussed on the merits and limitations of the DSA, the very first world regulation of PRSs has been implemented by the People’s Republic of China since March 1st 2022. The article elaborates a critical comparative analysis of the governance of PRSs between the Chinese and European regulations. By contextualizing the highly diverse media environments, the article bridges the gaps between legal, technical and social sciences disciplines to elaborate insights that aim to contribute to the development of the governance of PRS. The article is divided as follows; firstly, an introduction to the governance of platforms RSs is done. Then, a contextualization of European and the Chinese legal and media environment is provided. Secondly, a legal comparative analysis is developed by analyzing two main areas: algorithmic accountability and self-determination. Thirdly, a discussion on the challenges of PRS governance is elaborated and, eventually, conclusions are drawn. From the comparison we have identified fundamental challenges and opportunities for the development of PRSs governance: (1) the methodological validity of social media research and the possibility to run on-platform experiments for more sounding policies; (2) the inherent reductionism of profiling and the need to tackle the implicit “engagement optimization” paradigm; (3) the systemic vulnerability of users and the need to improve detection, prevention and legal codification of algorithmic and design manipulation; (4) the complex entanglement of PRS governance with interface design, content moderation and content visibility moderation; finally, (5) the promising role of users to provide a second-order accountability as well as strenghten individual self-determination through forms of participatory governance.

E-Securing the EU Borders: AI in European Integrated Border Management

In the European Union, the external borders were not always conceived as European ones. However, after experiencing a range of threats, the European policymakers identified external borders' importance to European security. Not forgetting that borders are connected with national authority, the EU through Frontex has made progressive steps towards a coordinated or even common border management. The main tools to achieve that are the shared European IT systems. Their enhanced capabilities, mostly based on Artificial Intelligence, will further establish the European Smart Borders. There is a complex "network” of IT border systems already operating or prospect automated ones that are necessary to be resilient and align with core fundamental rights.

Concern about the human health implications of marine biodiversity loss is higher among less educated and poorer citizens: Results from a 14-country study in Europe

IntroductionMarine biodiversity loss has direct and indirect effects on human health and wellbeing. Recent European data suggest that the public is aware of this, identifying marine biodiversity protection as its top research priority in terms of oceans and human health, rated higher than issues such as plastic, chemical, and microbial pollution.MethodsThe current study aimed to better understand key sociodemographic and personality predictors of concern about marine biodiversity loss and the desire for more research into marine biodiversity protection, in an attempt to support communication efforts targeting specific sectors in society. Data were drawn from nationally representative samples of 14 European countries (n = 14,167).ResultsResults show greater concern about marine biodiversity loss and support for more research into marine biodiversity protection by older adults, females, and individuals: (i) without (vs. with) a university degree; (ii) with lower (vs. middle) incomes; (iii) who identified as politically left-wing; (iv) who visited the coast more often; and (v) those with more open, agreeable and conscientious personalities.DiscussionThese results suggest that, although concern and research support are generally high among European citizens, policy makers and communicators need to take into consideration individual-level variation.

Divergent COVID-19 vaccine policies: Policy mapping of ten European countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fragmented nature of governmental policy decisions in Europe. However, the extent to which COVID-19 vaccination policies differed between European countries remains unclear. Here, we mapped the COVID-19 vaccination policies that were in effect in January 2022 as well as booster regulations in April 2022 in Austria, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. National public health and health policy experts from these ten European nations developed and completed an electronic questionnaire. The questionnaire included a series of questions that addressed six critical components of vaccine implementation, including (1) authorization, (2) prioritization, (3) procurement and distribution, (4) data collection, (5) administration, and (6) mandate requirements. Our findings revealed significant variations in COVID-19 vaccination policies across Europe. We observed critical differences in COVID-19 vaccine formulations authorized for use, as well as the specific groups that were provided with priority access. We also identified discrepancies in how vaccination-related data were recorded in each country and what vaccination requirements were implemented. Each of the ten European nations surveyed in this study reported different COVID-19 vaccination policies. These differences complicated efforts to provide a coordinated pandemic response. These findings might alert policymakers in Europe of the need to coordinate their efforts to avoid fostering divergent and socially disruptive policies.

Legalism without adversarialism?: Bureaucratic legalism and the politics of regulatory implementation in the European Union

AbstractMany scholars predict that European integration will foster adversarial legalism in Europe. In this article, I empirically assess the Eurolegalism thesis by examining EU regulatory mandates in the competition and securities fields, two policy areas where adversarial legalism is seen as most likely to develop. I argue that the diffusion of adversarial legalism to Europe has faced significant political opposition in the EU policymaking process which has curtailed the use of private enforcement mandates in EU secondary legislation. European policymakers have relied more on administrative enforcement through public regulatory agencies, a mode of policy implementation closer to bureaucratic legalism. In practice, public authorities play the primary enforcement role and private litigation serves the narrower function of compensation following public enforcement actions. Drawing from institutionalist theory, I identify several factors that have encouraged the development of bureaucratic rather than adversarial styles of European legalism, especially member states' commitments to procedural subsidiarity, the negative feedback effects from the US experience with entrepreneurial litigation, and the stickiness of European legal and bureaucratic traditions.

Competition, open innovation, and growth challenges in the semiconductor industry: the case of Europe’s clusters

AbstractIn recent years, public policymakers in Europe have become increasingly aware of the need to support Europe’s failing semiconductor industry. This is an emerging policy area, and this paper examines the current state of the industry in Europe and assesses its potential future. It contends that the competitiveness of the industry will be related to its innovative capacity, especially its capability to engage in processes of open innovation. The industry in Europe is largely located in a number of discrete regional clusters, and the analysis focuses on data collected from a series of interviews with lead representatives of these clusters. The analysis indicates that the challenges facing the industry stem from the structure of the industry in Europe and the structure of the wider European technology industry. It is concluded that policies, such as the introduction of the European Chips Act, are likely to have a limited, or even negative, impact on the types of open innovation–led growth that will improve long-term competitiveness.

Data Governance for Real-World Data Management: A Proposal for a Checklist to Support Decision Making

ObjectivesReal-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) can provide extensive information on healthcare for use in health technology assessment and decision making. Nevertheless, there is a lack of consensus surrounding the appropriate data governance (DG) practices for RWD/RWE. Data sharing is also a large concern, especially considering evolving data protection regulations. Our objective is to propose recommendations for international standards of evaluating the acceptability of RWD governance practices. MethodsAfter reviewing the literature, we created a checklist targeting DG practices for RWD/RWE. We then carried out a 3-round Delphi panel, including European policy makers, health technology assessment experts, and hospital managers. The consensus for each statement was measured and the checklist adjusted accordingly. ResultsThe literature review identified the main topics regarding RWD/RWE DG practices: data privacy and security, data management and linkage, data access management, and the generation and use of RWE. Members of the Delphi panel (21 experts/25 invited) were presented a total of 24 statements related to each of the topics. Experts demonstrated a progressive level of consensus and importance ratings in all topics and to most statements. We suggest a refined checklist in which the statements rated less important or with less consensus have been removed. ConclusionsThis study suggests how the DG of RWD/RWE could be qualitatively evaluated. We propose checklists that could be used by all RWD/RWE users to help ensure the quality and integrity of RWD/RWE governance and complement data protection law.

The Spatial Evolution of a European Hydrogen Economy

Abstract Green hydrogen has outgrown the testing stage: over the next few years, consortia across Europe will be investing large sums to build the supply chains of tomorrow. However, Europe as a whole will only be successful if it aligns the development of supply chains with the potentials of its regions and exploits the advantages of a European division of labour. This article examines the spatial distribution of hydrogen frontrunner projects in light of regional heterogeneity. It reveals a pattern that exhibits clear core regions but is only partly consistent with the localisation of current production and usage potentials. For a rapid ramp-up of hydrogen markets, European policymakers should make greater efforts to incentivise capacity formation in regions with high potential, by harmonising national levies affecting hydrogen supply chains and promoting the build-up of a cross-regional hydrogen transport infrastructure. Moreover, public investment support provided by various institutions and programmes should be better aligned to the common target of capacity upscaling.

Real-world assessment of the patient-centredness of endometriosis care: European countries benchmarked by patients.

European patients cross the borders of their countries to receive more patient-centred healthcare. Benchmarking across European countries for the patient-centredness of endometriosis care had yet to be performed. This study proved the factorial structure and reliability of translation of the ENDOCARE questionnaire in nine different languages. Moreover, the benchmark potential of the ENDOCARE questionnaire was shown by the significant between-country variance for case-mix-adjusted overall and dimensional patient-centredness scores, explaining 3-9% of the total variance in patient-centredness assessed across 10 European countries. Compared with the least patient-centred country, endometriosis care was more patient-centred in Denmark, Italy and Belgium. 'Reaching a diagnosis quickly' and 'physicians demarcating the endometriosis complexity level which they can treat' were consistently rated of more-than-average importance and were experienced negatively by more than half of the European sample. National and European policymakers and specialized clinics are prompted to monitor their patient-centredness and set up improvement projects.

Compiled by AILA ReN coordinator

Compiled by AILA ReN coordinator

The Introduction of Sustainable Aviation Fuels—A Discussion of Challenges, Options and Alternatives

The aviation industry is challenged to reduce its climate impact. The introduction of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) is, among other policy instruments such as the European Emissions Trading Scheme, an option favored by policymakers in Europe to achieve this objective. These fuels feature substantially reduced carbon life-cycle emissions in comparison to fossil fuels. In Europe, a mandatory quota for the use of sustainable fuels will most likely be introduced, starting in the year 2025. The introduction of a blending mandate by governments and the European Commission is associated with a range of challenges. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the economics of climate change mitigation in aviation and the role SAFs can play. The economic issues associated with the introduction of SAFs are analyzed, with a particular focus on the European Commission’s proposal for a blending mandate. Several suggestions for improvement are discussed. Furthermore, alternatives to SAFs are presented and evaluated.

What drives the performance of tax administrations? Evidence from selected european countries

An effective, efficient, fair, and trusted tax administration is a top priority for every country in the world; however, tax administration faces many issues, such as corruption, tax avoidance, or lack of flexibility. Some countries perform better in this process, and this paper aims to identify the main drivers of tax administration performance. We analyzed 35 European tax administrations by 12 performance dimensions in 2 consecutive years (2018–2019) and created a comprehensive performance measurement indicator using a data-driven neutral-aggregation approach. The findings indicate that (a) digitalization of tax administrations is the most influential driver of the overall tax administration performance, (b) Nordic countries and Switzerland can serve as role models for tax administration performance, and (c) the country-level results can serve as a proxy for the degree of the shadow economy. These findings guide European policymakers regarding the appropriate policy measures required to improve the performance of tax administration.

The regulatory security state in Europe

ABSTRACT The ‘regulatory state’ has prevailed in almost every sector of European public policy. The provision of security, however, is still widely viewed as the domain of the ‘positive state’, which rests on political authority and autonomous capacities. Challenging this presumption, we argue that expertise – as foundation of authority – and rules – as policy instruments – also shape the provision of European security by national and, in particular, supranational ‘regulatory security states’, namely the European Union (EU). We lay out a framework for mapping the uneven and contested rise of European regulatory security states; analyzing drivers and constraints of security state reforms; and grasping the implications of the regulatory security state for the effectiveness and democratic legitimacy of European security policy-making. We advance the research program on the regulatory state and contribute to an innovative understanding of who governs security in Europe’s multi-level polity, by what means, and on what legitimatory grounds.

The Midwifery Unit Self-Assessment (MUSA) Toolkit: embedding stakeholder engagement and co-production of improvement plans in European midwifery units

Background:For women with straightforward pregnancies midwifery units (MUs) are associated with improved maternal outcomes and experiences, similar neonatal outcomes, and lower costs than obstetric units. There is growing interest and promotion of MUs and midwifery-led care among European health policymakers and healthcare systems, and units are being developed and opened in countries for the first time or are increasing in number. To support this implementation, it is crucial that practice guidelines and improvement frameworks are in place, in order to ensure that MUs are and remain well-functioning. Aims and objectives:This project focused on the stakeholder engagement and collaboration with MUs to implement the Midwifery Unit Self-Assessment (MUSA) Tool in European MUs. A rapid participatory appraisal was conducted with midwives and stakeholders from European MUs to explore the clarity and usability of the tool, to understand how it helps MUs identifying areas for further improvement, and to identify the degree of support maternity services need in this process. Key conclusions:Engagement and co-production principles used in the case studies were perceived as empowering by all stakeholders. A fresh-eye view from the external facilitators on dynamics within the MU and its relationship with the obstetric unit was highly valued. However, micro-, meso- and macro-levels of organisational change and their associated stakeholders need to be further represented in the MUSA-Tool. The improvement plans generated from it should also reflect these micro-, meso- and macro-level considerations in order to identify the key actors for further implementation and integration of MUs into European health services.

Effects of COVID-19 on civil society voices in European energy and climate policy

Civil society plays an important role in European energy and climate policymaking. This paper poses the questions of how organized civil society handled the opportunities and challenges presented by the lockdown to its access to the climate and energy policymaking within the European Commission (EC)? How has the balance between organized civil society groups and businesses in Europe been affected by pandemic-related travel restrictions? Moreover, what role has the EC played in creating such opportunities and affecting the legitimacy of democratic policymaking? This research sheds light on the changing role of the EC in democratic governance and policy formation in the European Union (EU) by examining the relationship between funding received by CSOs active in the policy areas of environment and climate, the number of meetings attended, and the importance of coalitions and networks. This research revealed a possible relationship between level of participation in policymaking and the operational support received from the EC. Despite the resources invested, opportunities for interest representation in the energy and climate policy areas disproportionately favor businesses and organizations with long-term relationships with and proximity to Brussels. Increased number of virtual meetings only marginally increased share of participation of NGOs in these meetings. Thus, a physical presence in Brussels and resource investment remain important factors in access to the EU policymaking.