EU Sustainability Policies at Home and Abroad
Renovating Europe
Buildings account for around 36% of the European Union's (EU’s) greenhouse gas emissions and for about 40% of its energy consumption. They are thus crucial for addressing climate change and for delivering the European Green Deal (EGD). Yet, many buildings across Europe need renovating to improve their sustainability. In response to this major challenge, the ‘Renovation Wave’ strategy aims to achieve 60% greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the building sector by 2030. This chapter analyses the logic of change and steering embedded in the Renovation Wave. It unpacks the extent to which the Renovation Wave builds on the logic of consequences and/or the logic of appropriateness. The chapter illustrates potential opportunities and challenges by focusing on the case of Germany, where buildings have long been subject to sustained, if insufficient, policy making. The conclusions reflect on the extent to which the metaphor of a ‘wave’ chimes with the vision of change in the Renovation Wave and what this means for the potential effectiveness of addressing the sustainability of Europe's building stock in the context of the EGD.
This chapter is part of the book "Making the European Green Deal Work: EU Sustainability Policies at Home and Abroad"
This book critically analyses different dimensions in the sustainable transitions outlined by the European Green Deal, focusing on both internal actions and external relations and highlighting the EU’s diverging powers and capabilities in achieving the core objectives.
As with the Green Deal itself, the chapters cover different policies including financial instruments, energy policies, climate policies and external policies and apply the ideal-type logics of appropriateness and consequences to analyse sustainable transformations. The variety of the cases contribute to a broad understanding of how different actors interpret and implement the aims of the European Green Deal, including especially those lagging behind, who, for various reasons, are struggling with the sustainable transition. From examining their policies, the book illuminates the challenges and opportunities they are facing. Overall, the contributions address key questions surrounding the EU’s powers and limits in inducing transformative change and implementing the European Green Deal.