EU Policy for Climate Starting from 2030 as Detailed in Ariadne Paper

In the pursuit of a more sustainable future, a group of researchers have published a paper titled "Staying the course in turbulent times", offering insights and guidance for the European Union's climate, energy, and finance policy architecture. The paper, authored by Michael Pahle, Ulrich Fahl, Benjamin Görlach, Ronja Busch, Simon Feindt, Nikolas Messerschmidt, Jana Nysten, Sebastian Osorio, Darius Sultani, and others, was published in 2025 as part of the Kopernikus-Projekt Ariadne, Potsdam, Germany.

The paper's focus is on the current state and ways forward for the EU's climate, energy, and finance policy architecture. It suggests that to achieve its ambitious goals, the EU needs to make its climate policy more efficient. This can be achieved by eliminating overlaps and gaps within EU climate policy, improving market certainty, and establishing clearer rules and oversight mechanisms.

The paper recommends better coordination and integration of different policy instruments, streamlining regulations, and enhancing transparency. It also suggests that a coherent EU strategy is needed for the market ramp-up of green hydrogen and holistic land-use planning for faster energy project implementation.

One of the key areas of focus is the European Union Emissions Trading System (ETS), specifically the ETS 2 system. The paper suggests that making the ETS 2 trading more flexible could achieve efficiency gains of up to 22 percent. The ESR and ETS 2 systems both cover the same emissions and allow cross-border trading of allowances.

The transition to climate neutrality requires closing the gap between investment costs and future declines in revenue from energy taxation and necessary social compensation measures. The paper stresses the importance of stable price signals for businesses for effective planning and long-term financing for the energy transition.

The debate over new climate targets for 2040 is ongoing within the European Union. The paper provides insights on linking industry competitiveness to decarbonization, a crucial aspect of the debate. The paper's publication suggests ongoing research and discussion about the EU's climate, energy, and finance policy architecture.

The paper's DOI is 10.48485/pik.2025.008. For those interested in delving deeper into the topic, the paper offers valuable insights and recommendations for navigating the complex landscape of the EU's climate, energy, and finance policy architecture in turbulent times.