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WIFO Working Papers are not peer reviewed and are not necessarily based on a coordinated position of WIFO. The authors were informed about the Guidelines for Good Scientific Practice of the Austrian Agency for Research Integrity (ÖAWI), in particular with regard to the documentation of all elements necessary for the replicability of the results.

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The Status of Climate Policy Integration in EU Energy Policy
WIFO Working Papers, 2018, (551), 30 pages
Online since: 01.02.2018 0:00
The integration of climate policy concerns in other policy areas, where decisions are taken that determine greenhouse gas emissions, is a prerequisite for effectively mitigating climate change. There are particularly strong interlinkages between energy policy and climate policy as the major part of greenhouse gas emissions is related to energy supply and use. In this paper we initially compile a set of seven indicators for assessing climate policy integration (political commitment, actors, functional overlap, time perspective, weighting and resources, policy instruments, and emission impact). We then apply the criteria for an appraisal of climate policy integration in EU energy policy during the last decade, i.e., we focus on CPI from a horizontal perspective. The focus of our research lies on strategic energy policy documents, on the one hand, and on the comparison of four key energy policy documents in the context of the 2016 Winter Package to existing legislation, on the other. Our results show that mitigation of climate change is a key objective in all energy policy documents analysed. Furthermore, EU legislative processes ensure a comprehensive involvement of all stakeholders. The energy policy objectives regarding renewable energy and energy efficiency are synergetic and reinforcing with climate policy. It has to be noted, however, that other energy policy documents, like the Energy Security Strategy, contain conflicting issues and the proposed recasts of existing legislation reduce preferential treatment for renewables.
JEL-Codes:K32, Q48, Q54, Q58
Keywords:climate policy, energy policy, climate policy integration, European Union
Research group:Climate, Environmental and Resource Economics
Language:English

Related issues

In order to limit climate change the cross-cutting nature of climate policy needs to be recognised. Many climate-relevant decisions are taken in other policy areas with only little regard to climate change impacts. In order for climate policy to be successful it has to be integrated in decision making and legislative processes in basically all policy areas and all levels of government. In this paper we analyse the extent of climate policy integration in Austrian policy-making via in-depth expert interviews, both on the federal level as well as on the regional level using Styria as case study. The results show a broad range of perceptions regarding the degree of climate policy integration in Austria. On the one hand, the consideration of climate policy issues depends on the core competence of the respective institution. On the other hand, we found widely diverging views on whether climate policy in Austria is too ambitious or too weak. Especially, potential negative impacts of climate policy on competitiveness or employment are seen to hamper a more ambitious implementation of mitigation policies. Cooperation on climate policy issues is generally rated as good by the interviewees from administration and interest groups, but conflicts of interest that result from the organisations' core functions negatively impact on the perceived quality of cooperation. In case of conflicting targets it is widely noticed that "traditional" policy objectives like employment or competitiveness are given priority over climate issues.
Project lead: Claudia Kettner-Marx
Status von Klimapolitikintegration und -kohärenz – Entwicklung in der EU und in Österreich (CliPIC) (The Status of Climate Policy Integration and Coherence – Progress in the EU and in Austria (CliPIC))
Completed research studies
Supported by: Anniversary Fund of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank
Study by: Austrian Institute of Economic Research
Closed: 2018
Um den Klimawandel zu begrenzen, muss Klimapolitik als ein Querschnittsthema erkannt und in andere Politikbereiche integriert werden. Bisher besteht jedoch eine Diskrepanz zwischen dem politischen Bekenntnis zur Bekämpfung des Klimawandels und der tatsächlichen Integration der Klimapolitik. Auf Basis einer umfangreichen Literaturrecherche werden Kriterien für die Bewertung der Politikintegration von Klimaschutzmaßnahmen auf EU-Ebene und in Österreich entwickelt. Für die EU-Ebene werden dazu strategische und energiepolitische Dokumente herangezogen. Die Analyse für Österreich wird anhand der Ministerien mit klimabezogenen Kompetenzen strukturiert und fokussiert auf die Steiermark als regionale Fallstudie. Politische Empfehlungen konzentrieren sich auf die Verringerung der strukturellen, politischen und verfahrensrechtlichen Barrieren und auf Verbesserungspotentiale für die Integration der Klimapolitik.
Policy Brief: Klimapolitikintegration und Politikkohärenz in Österreich und der EU. Welche Fortschritte sind zu verzeichnen? (Policy Brief: Comprehensive Integration of Climate Policy and Policy Coherence in Austria and the EU. Which Progress?)
Studies, January 2018, 10 pages
Study by: Austrian Institute of Economic Research
Supported by: Anniversary Fund of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank
Online since: 01.02.2018 0:00
 
Die Begrenzung des anthropogenen Klimawandels erfordert eine weitgehende Dekarbonisierung und somit eine Umstrukturierung des Energiesystems, der Produktions- und Konsummuster. Um dies zu erreichen, muss Klimapolitik als Querschnittsthema anerkannt und in andere Politikbereiche integriert werden, da viele klimarelevante Entscheidungen in Ressorts getroffen werden, die Klimapolitik nicht als oberste Kompetenz haben. Die Berücksichtigung der komplexen Wechselwirkungen und langfristigen Anforderungen in der Entscheidungsfindung anderer Ressorts ist die Voraussetzung für kohärente Politik und die Erreichung der Klimaziele. Bislang ist jedoch noch eine gewisse Diskrepanz zwischen dem politischen Bekenntnis zur Bekämpfung des Klimawandels – etwa durch die Ratifizierung des Pariser Abkommens – und der tatsächlichen umfassenden Integration von Klimapolitik in andere relevante Bereiche erkennbar.