Adaptation, Experimentation or Conservation? The Use of Differentiated Implementation Under the Energy Efficiency Directive

Alexander Hoppe; Michael Hübner; Sebastiaan Princen; Martin Svec

doi:10.1111/jcms.13647

Adaptation, Experimentation or Conservation? The Use of Differentiated Implementation Under the Energy Efficiency Directive

Alexander Hoppe^*
, Michael Hübner
, Sebastiaan Princen
, Martin Svec

^*Corresponding author for this work

University of Duisburg-Essen
Masaryk University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

In this article, we introduce an innovative theoretical framework to analyse the use of differentiated implementation in the implementation process of European Union (EU) Directives. We identify rationales for offering flexibility in EU Directives as well as motives for policy-makers to make use of the discretion. We analyse patterns and drivers of differentiated implementation under the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) in four member states in order to assess whether practices of differentiated implementation conform to the rationales for offering flexibility. We show that member states mainly use the flexibility offered to retain existing policies. In addition, the EED led to some mutual learning based on experimentation, although this effect is limited. Whilst the EED offered a high potential for mutual learning, the member states did not use this opportunity. Overall, the implementation of the EED offers mixed evidence for the use of differentiated implementation to support differentiation.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	745-764
Journal	Journal of Common Market Studies
Volume	63
Issue number	3
Early online date	2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13647
Publication status	Published - May 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies published by University Association for Contemporary European Studies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Funding

This article is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Horizon 2020 Framework Programme) under Grant Agreement No. 822304 (Project InDivEU - Integrating Diversity in the European Union, ). Earlier versions of this article were presented at the 2021 conference of the Dutch Political Science Association (NKWP) and the 11th biennial conference of the ECPR Standing Group on European Union (Rome, 8-10 June 2022). The authors would like to thank Eva Ruffing, Asya Zhelyazkova and other participants in these events for their valuable comments and suggestions. In addition, they would like to thank Ton van den Brink, Elaine Mak and Hubert Smekal for their input at various stages of the research process, as well as Anna Taimr for her assistance in collecting and organizing the data for the case study.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.

Funders	Funder number
European Union	822304
Projekt DEAL

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

Keywords

differentiated implementation
differentiated integration
Energy Efficiency Directive
implementation of EU policy

Access to Document

10.1111/jcms.13647Licence: CC BY

J of Common Market Studies - 2024 - Hoppe - Adaptation Experimentation or Conservation The Use of DifferentiatedFinal published version, 365 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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abstract = "In this article, we introduce an innovative theoretical framework to analyse the use of differentiated implementation in the implementation process of European Union (EU) Directives. We identify rationales for offering flexibility in EU Directives as well as motives for policy-makers to make use of the discretion. We analyse patterns and drivers of differentiated implementation under the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) in four member states in order to assess whether practices of differentiated implementation conform to the rationales for offering flexibility. We show that member states mainly use the flexibility offered to retain existing policies. In addition, the EED led to some mutual learning based on experimentation, although this effect is limited. Whilst the EED offered a high potential for mutual learning, the member states did not use this opportunity. Overall, the implementation of the EED offers mixed evidence for the use of differentiated implementation to support differentiation.",

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Adaptation, Experimentation or Conservation? The Use of Differentiated Implementation Under the Energy Efficiency Directive

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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