Climate and energy policy linkages in the EU’s evolving net-zero agenda: From conceptualization to measurement

The paper inquires how linkages between net-zero targets and the energy policy of the EU can be conceptualized as defining rationales of its climate action agenda, and how measurement of these linkages can inform our understanding of policy change and contestation in this field. In the focus of this question is how environmental, economic, security-related and technological aspects are related to establish this linkage: After the energy transition and the goal of carbon neutrality were proposed as combined policy goals in the European Green Deal, aspects of of energy security and independence as well as questions of industrial competitiveness and resource independence have been added to define the EU’s agenda to promote net-zero targets. As policy linkages have become more complex, the paper discusses aspects of synergy, competition and (external) material and situational imperatives as defining logics of policy linkages. In its empirical part, the paper applies its framework to a survey of thematically relevant resolutions by the EP and related party group motions to demonstrate the measurement of climate-energy policy linkages and situate their evolution in the sequence of agendas from the EGD to the REPowerEU program and more recent Clean Industrial Deal. Through its focus on the EP as the main arena for public debate and contestation of the EU’s climate action agenda, these results demonstrate the limitations and fault lines of debate on the achievement of net-zero targets between rEuropean party groups.