Transparency is key for Europe in tackling the climate crisis

Each member state is required to align EU policies with national legislative frameworks, assign roles and responsibilities to relevant authorities, build administrative capacity and secure resources. 

The EU Green Policy Tracker creates transparency around the status of climate and environmental policy implementation at the member state level. It highlights both enabling and hindering factors that affect progress. This can help policymakers identify shared challenges and possible solutions across member states. It also creates a potential feedback loop from national implementation to high-level strategic planning at the EU level.  

The case study shows that policy incoherence at both EU and member state level hinders the implementation of the revised Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) Regulation and the Just Transition Fund (JTF) in Sweden and Estonia. To better address the effects of the climate crisis, the analysis recommends that European policymakers focus more on the connections between policies to avoid fragmented or isolated approaches. 

Another recurring challenge across the assessed policy portfolios is the capacity constraints and administrative burdens faced by national governments and public authorities. These have delayed and complicated the timely transposition and implementation of environmental and climate measures by member states. This was particularly evident in the Tracker’s review of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the revised Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). 

The limited institutional capacity of national authorities – especially in smaller countries like Sweden and Estonia – remains a significant obstacle. These limitations delay policy implementation and sometimes result in turbulent rollouts. Smaller member states may require increased support and resources from the European Commission.