Die umweltpolitische Handlungsfähigkeit der Europäischen Union

Despite extensive scientific evidence, the increasing urgency of environmental challenges, and the European Union’s declared ambition to lead in climate policy, research highlights a significant environmental governance deficit within the EU. To explain this deficit, political action was analysed within the framework of European multi-level governance, and the diverse influencing factors on the adoption of EU environmental legislation were systematically identified and related to one another. Using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), key constellations of conditions were identified that significantly enhance the EU’s environmental policy capacity to act.