In collaboration with the GOVTRAN Jean Monnet network Governing the EU’s Climate and Energy Transition in Turbulent Times, a special issue (SI) has been published in The International Spectator on ‘Europe’s Transition to Sustainability: Actors, Approaches and Policies’, with Rosa Fernandez, Jonas J. Schoenefeld, Thomas Hoerber and Sebastian Oberthür as guest editors. The articles in this Special Issue provide case studies to examine the reach of existing efforts in several policy fields, and how they are embedded in the multi-level governance system of the EU. The articles share an engagement with the mounting tension between the urgency of a speedy transition and the difficulties of achieving it in practice.

The GOVTRAN network has the role to bring together scholars working on the governance of the EU’s climate and energy policy. The network also aims to further governance research and to share knowledge. With the publication of an open access special issue journal, GOVRTAN contributes to the research field, and by being open access, has the potential to reach a broader audience.

Table of contents

Editorial: Europe’s Transition to Sustainability: Actors, Approaches and Policies
Rosa Fernandez, Jonas J. Schoenefeld, Thomas Hoerber and Sebastian Oberthür

Role Perceptions in Global Environmental Negotiations: From Reformist Leaders to Conservative Bystanders
Frauke Ohler and Tom Delreux

The Challenging Paths to Net-Zero Emissions: Insights from the Monitoring of National Policy Mixes
Jonas J. Schoenefeld, Kai Schulze, Mikael Hildén and Andrew J. Jordan

Towards Ego-Ecology? Populist Environmental Agendas and the Sustainability Transition in Europe
Thomas Hoerber, Kristina Kurze and Joel Kuenzer

When the Accession Legacy Fades Away: Central and Eastern European Countries and the EU Renewables Targets
Matúš Mišík

Discourses about EU Transport Decarbonisation: Towards a Paradigm Shift?
Helene Dyrhauge

Community Renewable Energy Projects: The Future of the Sustainable Energy Transition?
Rosa Fernandez

Cutting Deals: Transnational Advocacy Networks and the European Union Timber Regulation at the Eastern Border
Simona Davidescu and Aron Buzogány

Environmental Justice and Just Transition in the EU’s Sustainability Policies in Third Countries: The Case of Colombia
Gabriel Weber and Ignazio Cabras