Policy Toolkit Typology

Abstract

This report corresponds to the last deliverable of Work Package (WP) 4, "Policy Analysis", which focuses on depicting current energy policies and regulations in six European countries (France, Spain, UK, Germany, Italy and Ireland). WP4 will use the input from WP2 (energy technologies) and WP3 (socio-economic analysis) to create a best practice policy toolkit for EU Member States. As such, it will serve as a key input for three future WPs: WP6, where it will help to define innovative energy pathways; WP7, where WP4 outputs will be integrated into the energy portal; WP8, where it will help to stimulate the dialogue at the national and EU level. Steering society through a responsible energy transition is an eminently political process. To date, most of the policymaking efforts to obtain a low-carbon energy system and to reduce the environmental impact of energy consumption have focused on energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy resources. In representative democracies of Western countries, these efforts have historically been limited to top-down interventions, such as legislation and regulation. However, policies focused on changing people's behaviours may also have significant impact on the energy consumption of a country. Therefore, new and alternative behavioural approaches are increasingly being developed in a range of policy areas, providing a broader mix of policy options available to policymakers. Three key policy areas featuring a strong focus on behaviour change are energy, environment and transport. The investment cycles in each of these areas tends to be long, meaning strategic decisions taken today have long-term implications for the achievement of climate-orientated energy policy goals. If a sustainable and cost-effective transition towards a low-carbon energy sector is to occur, long-term policy guidance is required. The ENTRUST policy toolkit hopes to help in this regard. What is the ENTRUST policy toolkit? The ENTRUST policy toolkit is designed for policymakers and practitioners whose ...