The Green Transition in the EU

This module offers an overview of the politics and policies of the green transition, with a focus on the European Union. Students will initially explore the emergence of the field of climate politics, with the development of environmental movements and of global climate governance. The module then moves to the complex landscape of green policies and policy-making in the EU. This includes energy, environmental, and agricultural policies, as well as climate action. The European Green Deal will be given particular attention, with sessions focusing on interest representation, negotiations, the multitude of policies, and the emergence of green finance. The module will end with discussions on just transition, the future prospects of EU climate action, and related problems of legitimacy. Throughout the semester, the different dimensions of the green transition in the EU will be analysed through an interdisciplinary lens that emphasises the processes of policy-making and its specificities in the EU institutional architecture.

The course aims to provide students with training on the policy responses of the European Union regarding climate change and environmental protection. At the end of the module, students will:
•    Have a good understanding of how the climate crisis poses specific challenges to political action.
•    Consolidate their knowledge of the EU policy processes and actors.
•    Develop an informed and critical lens to analyze EU policy on climate and the environment.
•    Strengthen transversal skills in critical thinking, public speaking and discussion, and writing.

Weekly sessions will consist in lectures providing students with a coherent overview of the green transition in the EU, spanning from its politics, its policies in different fields (energy, agriculture, finance, etc.), the multi-level nature of the policy-making processes, as well as the broad paradigms of climate-related public action. The content of the sessions will be further detailed in the course syllabus delivered to the students at the beginning of the semester.
On some topics, the class will have the opportunity to learn from and exchange with external speakers and guests. These actors will share their first-hand experience working in the policy field of the green transition in the EU.
All course sessions will take place until the end of March 2025, to accommodate for the start of second semester internships in April.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Carter, Neil. 2018. The Politics of the Environment. Cambridge University Press.
Delreux, Tom and Sander Hapaerts. 2016. Environmental Policy and Politics in the European Union. Bloomsbury Academic.
Wallace, Helen et al. 2020. Policy-Making in the European Union. Oxford University Press.

Course notes

• Université virtuelle

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• written examination
• Oral presentation
• Group work

written examination

Oral presentation

Group work

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

Midterm group assignment: 40%.
Final exam: 60%.
Active learning grade bonus: Up to 1 grade point.
For students enrolled in the second session, both the grade of the midterm assignment and the active learning bonus are weighted in the final grade. The second session evaluation consists of an oral exam that counts 60% of the final grade.

Language(s) of evaluation

• english