Sebastian Oberthür

Director of Research Centre

Sebastian Oberthür is the Director of the Research Centre for Environment, Economy and Energy, and Professor for Environment and Sustainable Development at the Brussels School of Governance. He is also Professor of Environmental Policy and Law at the Centre for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law at the University of Eastern Finland. From 2005 to 2015, Sebastian Oberthür served as Academic Director of the Institute for European Studies (now part of the Brussels School of Governance). From 2006 to 2013, he was a member of the Compliance Committee of the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC.

Before joining the Brussels School of Governance in 2005, Sebastian Oberthür served as a part-time assistant professor for international relations at the Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg. Previously, he was a senior research fellow with Ecologic, the Institute for International and European Environmental Policy in Berlin, with which he remains a Senior Policy Advisor. Sebastian Oberthür studied political science in Marburg and Berlin. He received a PhD from the Free University Berlin for his work on "The Contribution of International Regimes to Solving Environmental Problems" (summa cum laude).

Trained as a political scientist with a strong background in international law, he focuses on issues of international and European climate and environmental governance. Sebastian Oberthür has published widely on related subjects and is invited regularly as an expert to participate in and speak at relevant conferences and workshops. He serves on the editorial boards and review panels of various journals and as a reviewer of several national science foundations. He is also co-editor of the book series on "The European Union in International Affairs" with Palgrave Macmillan.

List of publications (on VUB publications platform)

Featured publications

Podcast #1: Deep dive into the European Green Deal

Published on 13.05.2023
Other Publications

GreenDeal-NET's Biannual Research Highlights

Published on 01.04.2023
Other Publications

A climate club to decarbonize the global steel industry

Published on 06.06.2022
Journal Articles

EU climate and energy governance in times of crisis

Published on 28.06.2021
Journal Articles

Taking stock of EU climate governance: key challenges

Published on 27.04.2021
Policy briefs

Projects

Jean Monnet Module: Sustainability and Trade: A European Narrative - SUSTAEN

Period March 2022 - February 2025
Funded By

European Commission - Jean Monnet Module

Power to X and Carbon Capture & Utilization Roadmap for Belgium

Period March 2020 - February 2025
Funded By

Directorate-General for Energy

Step-Chem

Period January 2020 - December 2024

Policy integration: decarbonisation and security of supply in the European Union's external energy policy

Period January 2019 - December 2022
Funded By

Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

PLATON - PLATform for Open and Nationally accessible climate policy knowledge

Period January 2019 - December 2022
Funded By

Fridtjof Nansen Institute

The Research Council of Norway

EDGE: Evaluating Democratic Governance in Europe

Period November 2017 - October 2022
Funded By

VUB

GST: Global Stocktake: An Opportunity for Ambition

Period May 2021 - December 2021
Funded By

Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions

ROLECS - Roll-Out of Local Energy Communities

Period January 2019 - September 2021
Funded By

VLAIO

CONNECT - Understanding the international context for Norway's low-emission economy transition

Period September 2017 - August 2021
Funded By

The Research Council of Norway/KLIMAFORSK Programme

Beton Naar Beton

Period March 2018 - February 2021
Funded By

Interreg Europe

Climate Diplomacy 2019-2020

Period December 2019 - December 2020
Funded By

ADELPHI

German Federal Foreign Office

The Climate Friendly Materials Platform

Period October 2019 - December 2020
Funded By

European Climate Foundation

COP21: Results, Implications, Pathways and Policies for Low-Emissions European Societies (COP21-RIPPLES)

Period December 2016 - November 2020
Funded By

European Commission - Horizon 2020

Research Network on Regime (REFRACT)

Period January 2015 - December 2019

In the media

EU will 40 Prozent der Emissionen einsparen

Posted on 14.11.2022
Videos & podcasts

Interview with Prof. Sebastian Oberthür

Posted on 16.09.2022
In the press

Gasreserven müssen aufgefüllt werden

Posted on 19.05.2022
In the press

Innovation key to ditching Russian energy

Posted on 24.03.2022
In the press

Technology to combat climate crisis (in German)

Posted on 26.08.2021
Videos & podcasts

The case for an EU grand climate strategy

Posted on 10.06.2021
In the press

„Die Chance“ für Europa

Posted on 19.09.2020
In the press

Momentum of minimum in Madrid?

Posted on 02.12.2019
In the press