CHAPTER 1
Introducing a groundbreaking legislative framework
Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes
Europe, the European Union, and in particular some EU Member States are widely held to
be frontrunners towards a sustainable energy future. For more than 20 years, Europe has been
considered to be actively performing as a pro-active continent for global climate protection and
related legal frameworks. The Kyoto Protocol, which entered into force in 2005, was facilitated by
perseverance of the European negotiators. Pushing towards an agreement they could build on a set
of developed legal frameworks and on ongoing policy support. Increasingly, the enabling role of a
strong policy framework, primarily on Member State level b ut coordinated and agreed on Union
level,