Climate Policies as the New Trade Mark of the EU

The extent to which the EU will campaign for international climate action is decided in Brussels. That requires close cooperation between the member states. Discussions on this cooperation and on future EU policy in general are thus taking place across Europe and also have a major impact on energy and climate policy.

The project was designed to make energy and climate policy one of the core topics of the EU’s reform debate. To do so, it held workshops in Tallinn, Sofia and Bucharest to bring together opinion leaders in the EU’s reform and climate policy.

The project pursued an innovative approach by linking debate about the future of the EU with climate action for the first time. It has helped establish discussions between climate policy-makers and those working on EU topics and reforms.

The first workshop was held in Tallinn, Estonia, on 4 December 2017, attended by former ministers and by members of parliament and representatives of embassies, ministries, NGOs and industry associations.

A background paper exploring the links between the EU reform and climate and energy policy provided the framework for the workshops. It also described the latest developments in the EU reform process.

A workshop was held in February 2019 in Berlin to mark the end of the project.

• Agenda-setting policy dialogue: The project established, for the first time, a continuous cross-border dialogue between civil society, policy-makers and the private sector on energy and climate in the context of the EU reform debate. The discussions at workshops in Tallinn, Sofia and Bucharest broke down silo thinking here and laid the foundation for networked, constructive cooperation in a previously fragmented field of discourse.
• Important contribution to the EU reform debate on climate and energy: The background paper “How Can EU Reform Strengthen EU Climate and Energy Policies?”, developed as part of the project, was used by policy-makers and civil society actors representing a broad spectrum of opinion. It helped to open a debate on climate and energy policy within the EU reform process and to provide it with a clear structure. With its multi-perspective approach, it helped to reach new target groups and increase their participation in the reform process – an important step towards sustainable and inclusive EU climate policies.