The 'Clean Energy for all Europeans' Package. Does it contribute to Iceland's energy transition objective?

• Main Author: Einar Hallgrímsson 1985-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Lögfræði; Evrópuréttur; Orkuskipti; Ísland; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1946/48468

It can be argued that the most significant change to EU energy law concerning the energy transition is the ‘Clean Energy for all Europeans’ package, introduced in 2016. The package consists of eight EU secondary legislations, focusing on moving towards cleaner energy and interconnecting EU energy and climate law with a joint governance mechanism. The aim is, inter alia, to reach the European Union’s (EU) climate goals of 55% greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050. Since its adoption in the EU (completed in 2019) several amendments have been made to the original legislation aiming at, inter alia, reaching evermore ambitious climate and energy targets. What makes the ‘Clean Energy for all Europeans’ package special, compared to the previous energy packages, is that it focuses on the clean energy transition and thus, arguably, marks the beginning of a new era of EU energy law. In a parallel way, the Icelandic government has set a target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2040 and to phase out fossil fuels by 2050. The target of carbon neutrality by 2040 is very ambitious and has been codified into law, even though most evidence suggests that the target will only be reached with radical actions being taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The thesis aims to investigate whether the incorporation of the EU-EEA ‘Clean Energy for all Europeans‘ set of legislation can contribute to the energy transition objective in Iceland when duly incorporated into national law. The thesis analyses all relevant European legislation, including measures aimed at promoting renewable energy found in the Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001. It discusses renewable energy in the transport sector (biofuels) and also energy efficiency and governance of the so-called Energy Union. The findings suggest that measures in the ‘Clean Energy for all Europeans‘ package can, when incorporated into Icelandic law, speed up the energy transition and also lead to more renewable energy being produced. It ...