Editor’s choice
As the climate crisis intensifies, the implementation of EU green policies is crucial. Today marks the launch of the first version of the EU Green Policy Tracker – a new tracking and transparency tool that can guide the EU and member states in tackling challenges such as policy incoherence and limited institutional capacity. The first case study analyses the implementation of four selected environmental and climate policies in Sweden and Estonia.
In 2024, the first European Climate Risk Assessment identified 36 climate risks facing Europe, underpinning the urgent need to implement environmental and climate policies under the European Green Deal (EGD). The EGD is guiding the EU’s transition to a climate-neutral economy by 2050, supported by a wide range of legislation across various sectors. However, there is a growing need for increased transparency in how these policies are implemented at the national level to ensure their effectiveness.
The EU Green Policy Tracker provides this transparency, offering unique insights into how institutional dynamics in Sweden and Estonia influence the passage of EU environmental and climate legislation into national law.
Timothy Suljada, Head of Division, Stockholm Environment Institute
SEI developed the tracker in partnership with Think Sustainable Europe, a pan-European network of sustainability think tanks. The project is funded by the Mistra Foundation.
For the European Green Deal to meet its objectives, the focus must now shift to member states to ensure effective implementation of these policies at the national level. A significant challenge arises from the lack of transparency and comprehensive insight into how member states are progressing in accepting and implementing it, and there is a lot to be gained by studying the different experiences.
Mikael Allan Mikaelsson, Policy Fellow, SEI
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.
While larger member states such as Germany might have several public officials working on a key regulation, smaller countries like Estonia often have a single individual working on several pieces of legislation simultaneously. When all 27 EU-countries are included in the tracker it can help countries to learn from each other and facilitate the implementation on the national level.
Ivo Krustok, Senior Expert, SEI Tallinn
The Tracker supports national implementation, guides research and generates actionable insights for EU institutions, member states, businesses and civil society. The aim is to develop a final version to monitor the implementation status of a broad range of green policies across all 27 EU member states. The current prototype tracks the rollout of four selected policies in Sweden and Estonia. It is an initiative of Think Sustainable Europe, developed by Stockholm Environment Institute and funded by the Mistra Foundation. Learn more about how it works in the methodology and explore the tracker.
With the Tracker, users can explore data and analysis through various entry points – from country snapshots to deep dives into specific policies – detailing factors that enable or hinder implementation. Comparative analysis across countries and policies offers valuable insights for national policymakers, oversight mechanisms for EU institutions and rich empirical data for policy analysts and the public.
The four selected policies represent a diverse mix of policy mechanisms and sectors:
Tool / This tool tracks the implementation of environmental and climate policies across EU member states.
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Tool / This tool tracks the implementation of environmental and climate policies across EU member states.
SEI brief / Learn about new findings from SEI's new policy tracking tool and what they mean for progress on the EU Green Deal.
