HomeÉnergieEurope's Energy Transition: A Common ChallengeReport Septembre 2021Europe's Energy Transition: A Common Challenge Europe Energy EnvironmentPrintShareAuteurs Christian Gollier Executive director of Toulouse School of Economics Christian Gollier is an internationally-renowned professor of decision theory under uncertainty, with applications in climate economics, finance and cost-benefit analysis and a special interest in long term (sustainable) effects. He is a fellow of the Econometric Society, and received an ERC Advanced Grant in 2011. He founded the Toulouse School of Economics alongside Jean Tirole, where he has served as director (2007-2015), vice-president (2017), and director again since December 2017. He is currently president-elect of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE).In recent years, he has held visiting sabbatical positions at Harvard (2013) and Columbia (2015-2016). He has published more than 100 articles in top journals in economics, is one of the lead authors of the last two IPCC reports, and is the author of several books published by MIT Press, Princeton University Press and Columbia University Press. His most recent outreach book in French (Le climat après la fin du mois, PUF, 2019) on the importance of acting to mitigate climate change, has met with wide success in France, and is currently under translation into English. Alexandre Robinet-Borgomano Advisor on German Issues Alexandre Robinet Borgomano était responsable du programme Allemagne de l’Institut Montaigne jusqu’en janvier 2022. Il a rejoint l’Institut Montaigne en 2019. Il a travaillé auparavant au Bundestag, comme attaché parlementaire d’un député allemand. Il a conduit pour la Fondation du patrimoine culturel prussien un projet d’exposition visant à présenter à Berlin les collections d’art moderne du dernier Shah d’Iran. Il a également participé au lancement d’un fonds d’investissement européen dans le domaine de la Smart City et pris part à l’initiative pour l’unification du droit des affaires en Europe. Diplômé de Sciences Po Paris, il est également titulaire d’une maîtrise en histoire moderne de la Sorbonne (Paris IV). Taskforce Chairman of the working groupChristian Gollier, Economist, Managing Director, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE)MembersEmilie Alberola, Department of Research and Innovation, EcoActAlice Degabriel, Junior Consultant, KearneyBenjamin Fremaux, Senior Fellow Energy and Climate, Institut MontaigneSafia Limousin, Partner and Global Lead of the Power & Utilities practice, KearneyJulien Marchal, auditeur à la Cour des comptesXavier Ploquin, Senior Associate, MeridiamLaetitia Puyfaucher, Founder, WordAppealAdrien Tenne, Manager, KearneyRapporteursRomain Debarre, Managing Director, Kearney Energy Transition InstitutePaul-Adrien Hyppolite, engineer MINES ParisTechAlexandre Robinet-Borgomano, Head of the Germany Program, Institut MontaigneHugo Sancho, student MINES ParisTech, energy contributor énergie at Grand Continent Interviewees Marie-Claire Aoun, Head of Institutional Relations department, TeregaClément Beaune, Secretary of State for European affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of FranceGilles Bellamy, Public Affairs Directorate , EDFFabrice Bonnifet, Sustainable Development & Quality, Security, Environment Group Director, BouyguesDenis Bonvillain, Head of European Affairs, SUEZFranziska Brantner, Member of the BundestagPascal Canfin, Member of the European Parliament, European ParliamentJean-Pierre Clamadieu, Chairman of the board of directors, ENGIEAntoine Colombani, Member of the Cabinet of Vice-President of the European Commission Frans TimmermansVincent Damas, Group Head of CSR, CNP AssurancesMarc David, Director, Public Affairs Energy TransitionFrançois Delabre, Head of Institutional Affairs, Air France-KLMBertrand Deroubaix, Senior advisor strategic board, TotalEnergiesLaurent Dublanchet, VP European and International Affairs, Air LiquideOttmar Edenhofer, Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate ImpactChristian Egenhofer, Senior Research Fellow, CEPSJean-Pierre Farandou, CEO, SNCFJean-Paul Faugère, former Président, CNP AssurancesJudith Hartmann, EVP and Group CFO, ENGIEStefanie Hiesinger, Member of the Cabinet of Vice-President of the European Commission Frans TimmermansHugues Hinterlang, Head of EU Public Affairs, OranoJean Huby, CEO, OceanbreezePhilippe Knoche, CEO, OranoMichal Kurtyka, Minister, Ministry of Climate of PolandArmand Laferrère, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, OranoThomas-Olivier Léautier, chief economist, EDFPatrick Lebrun, Deputy Director General, VINCI EnergiesMichel Matheu, Special Advisor, Union Française de l'ElectricitéSébastien Meunier, Director of Institutional Relations and Territories Development, ABB FranceElisabeth Michaux, Head of Sustainable development, CNP AssurancesJacques Mulbert, Division President - Process Automation - Measurement & Analytics, ABBSusanne Nies, General Manager, Germany SmartwiresNicolas Petrovic, CEO, Siemens FranceXavier Piechaczyk, Chairman of the Executive Board, RTEPierre-Yves Pouliquen, Sustainable Development Director, SUEZPatrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO, TotalEnergiesBenoît Potier, Chairman and CEO, Air LiquideRuth Reinstein, Energy expert, IDEA European CommissionCarsten Rolle, Head of Energy, BDINathalie Simmenauer, Sustainability SVP - CSR and Environment, Air France-KLMGuillaume de Smedt, Director Marketing & Strategy, Hydrogen Energy, Air LiquideAleksander Śniegocki, Energy, Climate and Environment Programme expert, Wise EuropaMatthieu Soulas, Senior Vice President Strategy & Climat, TotalEnergiesAlain Taccoen, European Affairs Directorate, EDFLaurent Timsit, General Delegate, Fédération Nationale de l'Aviation MarchandeVincent Thouvenin, Director European Affairs, RTEBenjamin Thibault, Director, France FortumBertrand le Thiec, Director of Public Affairs, EDFKatharina Umpfenbach, Coordinator Energy, Ecologic InstituteThomas Veyrenc, Director of Strategy and Foresight, RTEKamila Waciega, Director Energy, Public Affairs Department, VeoliaKirsten Westphal, Senior Associate, German Institute for International and Security AffairsLidia Wojtal, Climate & Energy Policy Expert Table of contents 1. Introduction 2. A new impetus for Europe 3. A rational and unique carbon pricing policy 4. A known and reliable carbon impact... 5. Our recommendations for reaching a unified European strategy for energy transition Download Report ( 132 pages) Executive Summary ( 2 pages) In spite of its efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions (in the past 30 years, there has been a 25% decline), the European Union (EU) is still far from reaching the target of carbon neutrality by 2050. Without appropriate action, severe climate impacts will be worse in the decades ahead.In this report, Institut Montaigne analyses the means and tools for accelerating and completing the European Green Deal. Our policy recommendations are the result of interviews with various stakeholders (academics, policy makers, industry leaders, representatives of civil society) who advocate for a unified European strategy for energy transition, integrating the divergent interests of member states and supporting the effects of this transformation over time.This report, chaired by Christian Gollier, Managing Director of the Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), aims at contributing to a substantial acceleration of the energy transition, as is needed for the EU to meet its climate goals. A new impetus for Europe European recovery plansIn July 2021, the EU Council approved the national recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) of 12 countries including the ones of Germany, Italy, Spain and France. The financial windfall represented by the European recovery plans makes it clearly possible to accelerate the energy transition. But this windfall does not guarantee its success. We need to ensure the cost-benefit optimization of investments to reduce CO2 emissions while guaranteeing the EU's energy security. In other words, the economic impact of this transformation must be overseen.The European energy transition offers the opportunity to create new centers of economic and technological competitiveness and new sectors of excellence, in particular in the field of:renewable energies;hydrogen and electric batteries;sectors that create value and "green" jobs.The energy transition represents many opportunities for the EU: economic, social and geopolitical.Shifting the paradigmCO2 emissions in Europe must be reduced significantly to meet the Paris Agreement goals. This implies, within the next 30 years, a radical transformation of energy production, transformation and consumption systems as well as a drastic cut in the use of hydrocarbons in Europe.Moreover, this decarbonization strategy relies on a deep change in skills and behaviors, as well as the development of significant technological innovation and investment in R&D in order to decarbonize applications and sectors for which no suitable solutions exist yet.Fostering consensusDespite significant progress, there is divergence between the EU member states in the field of energy policies. The main disagreement concerns the social aspects of this energy transition. Due to the heterogeneity of socio-economic situations within the EU, the fight against climate change is prioritized differently by each member state, making it difficult to reach consensus on the measures to be adopted.A more integrated vision of Europe’s energy transition is needed to optimize investments in the transformation of European energy systems. The creation of an independent European Energy Transition Agency (EETA), with extended competences, would meet this need. The Agency could become the architect of an integrated European vision, monitoring the transformation of energy systems, in particular through systematic scientific studies: impact reports on energy costs, energy security and the social impact of these transformations. A rational and unique carbon pricing policy An incomplete European carbon marketCarbon pricing is currently monitored through the European Union CO2 Emissions Trading Scheme - EU ETS. Created in 2005, it regulates CO2 emissions from over 11,000 large European energy and industrial installations, responsible for 40% of EU emissions. While the EU ETS has worked well since its implementation from a technical standpoint, the ETS market only covers 40% of emissions, energy and industrial installations. It fails to account for sectors such as transport and the residential sector. As the rest of the sectors are not taxed at the European level, half of the member states have introduced carbon taxes with different perimeters and prices. This lack of harmonization prevents a significant impact on emission reductions at the European level.Additionally, the ETS market only takes into account emissions on European soil and does not take into account the emissions resulting from imports. By failing to set a CO2 price on imports, it undermines market equity and competition between European and non-European products.Strengthening the European carbon pricing policyIn the current context of economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 health crisis, volatile oil prices and political uncertainty regarding the support for green policies integrated within this recovery, this transition to a "climate neutral Europe" requires a growing and strengthened carbon pricing trajectory, adapted to the goals that need to be achieved.Europe’s energy transition will involve a reduction in emissions of around 3.5 billion tons of CO2 per year. It is clear that this transformation must lead to profound changes in behaviors across entire sectors of society, with the goal of a massive and rapid reduction in the consumption of carbon-based goods. Carbon pricing can effectively orchestrate this large-scale societal change underlying Europe’s energy transition. A known and reliable carbon impact... Must involve consumersIn the absence of carbon pricing commensurate with our responsibilities to future generations, many are calling for a sense of individual and institutional responsibility on the part of emitters and their clients. While it is certain that global warming has deep systemic causes over which individual behavior has little control, acting on an individual level can still help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Estimates suggest that individual behavior has the potential to reduce an individual’s carbon footprint by up to 25%. Combined with a logic of collective demand, individual responsibility is therefore part of the solution to the climate challenge. For this, the carbon impact of consumer products must be made explicit and become a purchasing criterion for consumers.By providing reliable and simple informationExact information about the carbon impact of consumer products remains abstract or approximate. Integrating the carbon criterion into purchasing decisions requires access to reliable and simple information regarding the carbon impact of particular production or consumer goods. Yet, no satisfactory system exists to compare the carbon impact of particular production or consumer goods. Such systems have many shortcomings: multiple and non-comparable methodologies, unclear taxonomy, lack of official benchmarks, non-certified information, etc.Albeit a few exceptions, the carbon impact is rarely integrated into consumer decision making. Only a few sectors, mainly energy and transport, have information about their carbon emissions. There is a genuine technical challenge of providing a unified methodology and a certified carbon accounting system at the European level, which would allow for true carbon traceability of production and consumer goods. At large, carbon traceability is a prerequisite for establishing true carbon adjustment at borders. Our recommendations for reaching a unified European strategy for energy transition 1 Strengthening the EU’s CO2 emissions pricing policy and redistributing its revenues to ensure social equality In detail Renewing the European Union CO2 Emissions Trading SchemeCreating a European Central Climate Bank (ECCB)Redistributing carbon pricing revenues to the lowest income sectors.2 Strengthening coordination on energy transition issues and building support within the EU In detail Creating an independent European Energy Transition Agency (EETA) with broader powersShifting the paradigm of the European energy transitionPlanning the closure of European coal mines and power stations by supporting the conversion of the affected areas and employment areas.3 Establishing a carbon traceability system to inform consumers, evaluating companies, and facilitating the implementation of an ambitious carbon adjustment scheme between borders In detail Developing European carbon accounting to determine the carbon content of goods produced and consumed in the EUImposing carbon labelling on goods consumed in the EUGradually extending carbon adjustment at EU borders to new sectors and to more complex products, through carbon accounting4 Using the European recovery plans as an opportunity to accelerate the decarbonization of the European economy through targeted reforms and investments In detail NextGeneration EU: the European architecture of recovery plansComparing the energy and climate components of the German, French and Polish recovery plansAccelerating the decarbonization through targeted investments in the transport sectorPromoting coordinated development and cross-border projects in the hydrogen sector.Christian GollierAlexandre Robinet-BorgomanoPrintShareDownload Report ( 132 pages)Download Executive Summary ( 2 pages)