Background and issues
Following the 2015 Energy Transition Act, France has defined itself an ambitious energy transition strategy to become a low-carbon economy. 3 years after the enactment of the law, 2018 marks a pivotal year for its implementation. Indeed, for the first time the two strategic planning tools (the national low-carbon strategy and the multiannual energy plan) will undergo a full process of reporting, evaluation and revision in order to set the path for the coming 15 years.
Objectives and methodology
Within this context, Iddri has initiated a research project aimed at providing new insights on the methodological and practical challenges related to the reporting and evaluation of energy and climate policies. This project builds on a twofold-approach:
- Contribute to the debate from a methodological perspective: What are the criteria to select valid indicators ? How to ensure the transparency and reliability of the reporting data and process? How to connect the evaluation of past implementation with prospective outlooks? And how to measure the efficiency and impact of key policy measures?
- Develop a reporting tool in the form of an “energy and climate transition dashboard”. Building on the methodological guidelines, this tool will also have to respond to the specific needs identified by experts and stakeholders to ensure relevancy for the policy process.
Beyond the link to the policy process currently in progress, this project also pursues a long-term approach. In that respect, the analysis can be considered a first building block to engage a broader debate on the methodological and practical challenges of the reporting and evaluation approaches, in order to initiate an iterative process aimed at improving the process over the years, in line with scientific knowledge and policy implementation.
Starting with a national focus, this project also encompasses an opening on the European policy process. Indeed, connecting both dimensions seems essential for the following reasons:
- The challenge of ensuring the articulation and convergence between reporting tools and practices across the national and EU levels, taking into account the current reform of the EU climate and energy governance framework;
- The importance of strengthening the exchange of experiences and best practices among Member states confronted to similar challenges in terms of reporting, evaluation and revision of their national strategies;
- Engage a dialogue with experts in other countries to test the opportunity of replicating the methodological approach and reporting tool beyond the case of France
