Making State Aid Work for the Decarbonisation of Europe

Project

This project, conducted jointly by Agora Energiewende and Client Earth combines legal, economic and energy transition expertise to develop an online repository and communication material on initially 20 case studies on EU state aid decisions relevant for climate protection and the EU’s energy transition.

By providing transparent, reliable and well-documented case studies we will analyze the track-record of past state aid decisions in driving the energy transition and identify the critical steps and elements in state aid decisions that should be improved to align EU state aid decision-making with Europe’s climate and energy targets.

Through communication activities in Brussels and select Member States and regions we will empower stakeholders to engage on this issue through their respective channels with the European Commission, Members of the European Parliament and national governments.

Background

At present, there is little information and knowledge on the role of state aid decision-making for decarbonisation. EU state aid decisions, however, are an important factor since shifting public finance towards clean energy is key for reducing EU carbon emissions and for the energy transition.

In this project, we will start identifying and closing the knowledge gap by providing information on state aid decisions taken in the past. In addition, the projects will provide a platform for discussion between decision-makers, stakeholders, and climate and energy experts on the interplay between state aid and decarbonisation in the EU.