(De‐)Constructing coherence? Strategic entrepreneurs, policy frames and the integration of climate and energy policies in the European Union

Abstract

This paper looks at the way policy entrepreneurs construct horizontal coherence through problem definition and the promotion of policy frames that bond different objectives and instruments together. Building on the case of the 2009 climate and energy package, the paper analyses how the European Commission and successive European Union Presidencies exploited a growing climate change momentum to devise, assemble and facilitate the adoption in an exceptionally short period of an ambitious legislative package cutting across traditional sectoral boundaries. The recourse to a narrative presenting Europe at the vanguard of a green revolution and the framing of European internal policies as a tool for international climate leadership were instrumental in constructing the package as a coherent response to the joint energy and climate change challenges, and in rallying wide support. However, the paper shows that the institutionalization of this framing has been undermined by the economic crisis and stalled international negotiations.

How scholars break down “policy coherence”: The impact of sustainable development global agendas on academic literature

“…PC as a feature of the vertical and MLG might result from coordination modes in formulation or implementation phases. Moreover, PC intertwining with integration, and coordination issues, focusing mainly on outputs and implementation at different levels (Bocquillon, 2018;Huttunen et al, 2014;Kurze & Lenschow, 2018;Scobie, 2016;Urwin & Jordan, 2008), should deepen the analysis of policy coherence attainability.…”

“…Policy coherence (PC) has become a key question within a wide array of policy and governance studies dealing with multilevel and international governance, transboundary issues, inter‐sectoral policies, and more effective policy processes within the environmental, global sustainable development agendas, and climate change governance (Howlett & Rayner, 2007; Lenschow et al, 2018; Tosun & Lang, 2017). The European Union (EU) and its member states have been increasingly committing to PC about environmental sustainability, cohesion, and energy policies (Bocquillon, 2018; Nilsson et al, 2012; Selianko & Lenschow, 2015), development cooperation policy (Carbone, 2008; Prontera, 2016), and external and foreign policies (Marangoni & Raube, 2014). The PC principle was introduced in EU fundamental law in 1992 (Treaty of Maastricht) and was further reinforced in 2009 (Treaty of Lisbon).…”

The Policy Coherence Framework Approach in a Multi-Level Analysis of European, German and Thuringian Climate Policy with a Special Focus on Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)

“…Moreover, in contrast to certain expert opinions, scientific analysis is open-ended. The second caveat (negligence of the factor of power, e.g., Bocquillon [17]) is more relevant for social and economic questions where coherence does not have the same meaning it has for policy fields related to spatial planning, water and forests. Finally, with regard to the example of German forest strategy, it can be clearly seen that the government aims at policy coherence between climate policy (German Climate Protection Plan 2050 and further instruments for climate protection and adaptation) and other national strategies, e.g., sustainability, biological diversity and bioeconomy.…”

An industrial policy framework for transforming energy and emissions intensive industries towards zero emissions

“…In pursuing transformational change, policy coherence is often argued as important for efficient policies and something that might require institutional reforms (Bocquillon, 2018;Nilsson & Weitz, 2019). A coherent policy approach to industrial transformation will cut across many traditional policy domains, particularly if the future is much more material-efficient, circular, and electrified with new sectoral couplings.…”