Investigating the politics of democratic legitimacy in EU climate policymaking: the special case of Fit for 55

Abstract

Climate policy negotiations in the EU have previously undermined the democratic legitimacy of the bloc’s legislative process. During both the 2020 and 2030 Climate and Energy Framework negotiations, the European Council went beyond its Treaty roles by laying out the policies needed to reach emissions reduction targets. Inter-institutional negotiations for Fit for 55, however, saw the Commission fulfil its executive function. In this paper, we ask the question: how has a shifting balance of power between the EU institutions impacted the democratic legitimacy of climate policy negotiations? Drawing from a political analysis of 21 interviews with policymakers, we argue that three processes characterised Fit-for-55 negotiations: a softening intergovernmentalism, cordial parliamentarianism, and empowered supranationalism. Each process appears to bolster core tenets of democracy: representation, accountability, and evidence-based policymaking. This paper therefore demonstrates that Fit for 55 seems to have proceeded with somewhat more democratically legitimate negotiations than preceding climate packages.