Since 2007, energy and climate policy has occupied a prominent place on the agenda of the European Union. The so-called '20-20-20 targets' negotiated during the German Council Presidency were the first step towards an integrated policy approach. Because of the long investment cycles in the...

Germany's so-called »Energiewende« (energy transition) of summer 2011 could be the final episode of a long-running political conflict over the use of nuclear energy. The broad consensus assembled by the German government starts a process that will shut down all the country's nuclear power...

With the Energy Roadmap 2050 of December 2011, the European Commission has opened the debate about the future shape of Europe's energy sector. But two central conflicts within the Union narrow the relevance of this planning instrument in the ongoing political process. Firstly, the European...

Since the Juncker Commission took office in late 2014, the idea of an »Energy Union« has been a central theme of the EU energy policy debate. Today, the Energy Union concept covers every area of current European energy and climate policy. Its primary objective is to create a coherent,...

In October 2014, the leaders of the 28 EU Member States in the European Council agreed upon the outline of a common strategy for energy and climate policy to 2030. Until the very end of negotiations, the agreement was subject to Poland's consent. The strategy includes quantified targets for the...

The “Energy Union” can be seen as the most significant policy idea that seeks to reform European energy governance, policy and regional cooperation. However, so far the concept is mostly an empty box in which every stakeholder tries to put whatever is on the top of their priority list. This...

The implementation of the new net emission targets for 2030 and 2050 as part of the European Green Deal is moving the deliberate removal of CO2 from the atmosphere up the agendas of political decision-makers. In its latest report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also...

Since net zero targets have become a keystone of climate policy, more thought is being given to actively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while continuing to drastically reduce emissions. The ocean plays a major role in regulating the global climate by absorbing a large proportion of...