The complicated development of EU climate policy

Abstract

This chapter sums up efforts in the 1990s to develop effective EU climate policy and climate policy instruments, and in this context discusses some main lessons and implications both for future EU climate policy and for the global context. The failure of EU common climate policy gives support to the general argument for flexible and differentiated measures. Given the relatively advanced state of the EU system, the EU could take on interesting pilot testing roles in the development of international emissions trading schemes. However, this would make it even more important to get the EU monitoring mechanism to function effectively.