Coping with turbulence: EU negotiations on the climate law and the 2030 energy and climate targets

This article analyses the impact of the European Green Deal on EU climate and energy governance, with a focus on the 2030 and 2050 frameworks. It investigates both the framing of a trajectory to achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction and the role of EU institutions in the process. Particular attention is devoted to the draft climate law proposed by the European Commission in March 2020 and to the negotiations leading to a new GHG reduction target for 2030. The paper argues that negotiations on the climate law and the 2030 targets have taken place within a context characterized by considerable international and domestic turbulence. It highlights whether and how the most salient drivers of turbulence – internal disputes about the rule of law, intra-institutional disagreements, the Covid-19 pandemic and the US exit from the Paris agreement during the Trump presidency - influenced relevant EU decision-making.