Assessing and Comparing Participatory Governance in Energy Transition: Evidence from the 27 European Union Member States

Abstract

The Energy Union governance regulation (CE 2018/1999) set new participatory procedures and governance standards for energy planning of Member States. This paper aims at identifying the contribution of this new mode of regulation in developing multi-sector, multi-level, and multi-stakeholder involvement and dialogue in the formulation of Energy Union plans. The article refines the concept of participatory governance in the energy sector and provides an operational and multidimensional definition. It innovatively compares the formulation process of the 27 Member States’ energy plans (draft and final) to highlight national evolution in participatory governance dimensions, cross-country convergence, and variations in alignment with EU regulation. Despite the significant differences in the governance of national energy planning, the empirical evidence highlights the contribution of EU governance regulation in promoting, along different dimensions, the participatory processes of all Member States.