The Energy Agreement (Energieakkoord) of the Netherlands in the European Context

The EU’s 20-20-20 energy and climate targets meet quite different prerequisites in the EU-member states. Their particular problems in terms of national energy mixes vary considerably across Europe. Moreover, attributes of national political systems and administrations contribute to the diversity of national adaptation strategies. The Netherlands are a special case in point. Not only that the country goes for climate leadership in Europe (ep – energypost Oct 11, 2017). They also managed to reduce consumer prices for households and industrial customers considerably over the last decade. The Dutch government followed a collaborative governance approach to harmonize the expansion of renewable energy sources with cost and price development and greenhouse gas emission targets. Led by the Social and Economic Council (SER) government actors negotiated a comprehensive energy accord with employers’ federations, trade unions, energy suppliers, environmental and conservationist organizations and further interest groups. The Agreement runs until 2023. During the implementation process problems to fulfill certain measures became manifest, which required amendments to be adopted. In it’s recent coalition agreement the coalition government under Prime Minister Mark Rutte (Liberal Party VVD) being in office since October 2017 announced to craft an agreement on climate and energy policies that aims to reduce emissions by 49% in 2030, which goes beyond EU-plans and the UN Paris Agreement of 40%. The Dutch energy and climate protection policies rest on the country´s specific energy-mix and is shaped by the political system structures and a consensual approach to solve problems in particular. Consensual policies were reached by a package of measures resulting from encompassing negotiations and the balancing of interests amongst various stakeholders. By signing the agreement, the participants committed themselves to implement the agreed measures. This old established corporatist pattern – the so called polder model – has been supplemented by new mechanisms of participatory governance and the introduction of greatly enhanced monitoring instruments. The paper will demonstrate that European policy did shape Dutch energy and climate policies, but the Netherlands follow a specific national approach characterized by traditional policy-making styles and repertoires of administrative action originating from its institutionally inherited consociational democracy.