Towards climate policy integration in the EU: evolving dilemmas and opportunities

Europe has positioned itself as a front runner for climate mitigation policy globally. However, to reach climate mitigation targets that go far beyond Kyoto commitments, climate policy must become more integrated with sectoral policies such as energy, transport and agriculture. To achieve such policy integration, policy refraining and dilemma sharing among sectoral actors are important mechanisms. This article proposes the basic elements of an integrated policy agenda based on an assessment of achievements to date in three sectors as well as an outlook for the future of some overarching framework conditions. The analysis of existing and emergent dilemmas and opportunities suggests that a policy agenda must be vigorously pursued internally within the EU as well as with its neighbours and the outside world. Basic elements of this agenda include innovation policies, structural change pressures, and a concerted and coherent international policy agenda where trade policy, foreign policy, climate policy and agricultural policy are working in the same direction.