Experimenting Towards the Energy Transition: How EU Member States Implement Experimentalist Governance Arrangements in European Renewable Energy Policy

This article examines how member states of the European Union (EU) implement experimentalist governance arrangements designed to facilitate the transition towards renewable energy. Focussing on the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive, which formalised the EU’s climate and energy target framework for 2020, six member states’ responses are analysed at the strategic, policy, and outcome levels (Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). The European framework exhibited an experimental approach, encouraging national action through binding targets while permitting national regulatory solutions. This flexibility allowed member states to accommodate national energy preferences and choose their preferred policy instruments. Results of the comparative case study show that all member states took high-level actions, even before the formal adoption of the EU Directive required national implementation. However, member states’ responses also revealed three key implementation challenges: (1) diverse interpretations of requirements, (2) voluntary noncompliance, and (3) securing of long-term political commitment.