Public participation in EU climate governance: the underexploited potential of national energy and climate plans

Well-designed public participation can bolster democracy and support the transition to climate-neutral societies. This article assesses the quality of EU-mandated public participation in Member States’ National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), required under the EU’s 2018 Governance Regulation and linking EU and national governance. Based on a novel assessment framework, we find that the quality of participation has increased from the 2018 Draft NECPs to the 2019 Final NECPs, followed by a significant decline in the 2023 Draft Updates. Given the central importance of public participation early in the process, there is an evident need for enhancing the quality of public participation at the draft stage. In addition, strengthening elements related to the integration of participation outcomes into policymaking deserves special attention. Overall, significant shortcomings remain and have also curbed the potential of EU-mandated public participation in the NECP process to enhance the EU’s democratic legitimacy at large.