EUROPEAN INTERESTS AND EXTERNAL CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY OF THE EU TOWARD EGYPT

According to the International Panel on Climate Change, climate change will affect the rivers leading to the Mediterranean, desertification will increase, rise in sea level will affect coastal settlements, and crop productivity will decrease in the region. Therefore, climate change is an important issue for the Mediterranean region. The European Union (EU) is a frontrunner in climate change policy, committing itself to a decarbonized economy by 2050. The EU also promotes climate action in the world through its climate diplomacy. Such EU action in promoting the norm of climate action can be explained with reference to EU’s economic interests. In this paper, I analyse whether the EU serves its economic interests by promoting climate action in its neighbourhood policy towards Egypt. Based on documentary analysis, this paper argues that European companies benefitted from the market-based solutions adopted by the Kyoto Protocol in Egypt, exported renewable energy technologies to Egypt and face a level-playing field in terms of regulations promoted for them by the EU in Egypt.

AVRUPA ÇIKARLARI VE AB’NİN MISIR’A YÖNELİK İKLİM DEĞİŞİKLİĞİ POLİTİKASI

Uluslararası İklim Değişikliği Paneline göre iklim değişikliği sonucunda Akdeniz bölgesindeki nehirler etkilenecek, çölleşme artacak, yükselen deniz seviyesi kıyı yerleşimlerini etkileyecek ve tarım mahsullerinde verim düşecektir. Bu nedenlerle iklim değişikliği Akdeniz bölgesi için önemli bir konudur. Avrupa Birliği, iklim değişikliği politikasında öncülük ederken 2050 yılı itibariyle karbondan arındırılmış ekonomi hedefini de tutturmayı hedeflemektedir. Avrupa Birliği aynı zamanda iklim diplomasisi aracılığıyla dünyada da iklim politikalarının benimsenmesini teşvik etmektedir. Avrupa Birliği’nin bu etkinlikleri, ekonomik çıkarlarıyla açıklanabilmektedir. Bu çalışmada AB’nin, Mısır’a yönelik iklim değişikliği politikası sayesinde ekonomik çıkar elde edip etmediği incelenmektedir. Belge analizi yapan çalışma, ABMısır iklim değişikliği ilişkileri sayesinde Avrupa şirketlerinin Kyoto Antlaşması tarafından oluşturulan piyasa temelli çözümlerden yararlandığını, Mısır’a yenilenebilir enerji teknolojileri ihraç ettiğini ve AB tarafından Mısır’da teşvik edilen AB düzenlemeleri sayesinde avantajlı bir konum elde ettiklerini ortaya koymaktadır.

PDF

___

Bailey, Ian and Sam Maresh (2009), “Scales and Networks of Neoliberal Climate Governance: The Regulatory and Territorial Logics of European Union Emissions Trading”, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 34 (4): 444-461.

Clean Development Mechanism registry (2019), 19 July.

Climasouth (2018), http://www.climasouth.eu/en/node/401.

Curran, Louise, Ping Lv and Francesca Spigarelli (2017), “Chinese investment in the EU renewable energy sector: Motives, synergies and policy implications”, Energy Policy, 101: 670-682.

Dadush, Uri and Yana Myachenkova (2018), “Assessing the European Union’s North Africa Trade Agreements”, Bruegel Policy Contribution, No. 22.

Damro, Chad (2012), “Market Power Europe”, Journal of European Public Policy, 19 (5): 682–699.

Damro, Chad, Iain Hardie and Donald MacKenzie (2008), “The EU and Climate Change Policy: Law, Politics and Prominence at Different Levels”, Journal of Contemporary European Research, 4 (3): 179-192.

Dandashly, Assem (2017), “EU Democracy Promotion and the Dominance of the Security–Stability Nexus,” Mediterranean Politics, 23 (1): 62-82.

De Flers, Nicole Alecu and Elfriede Regelsberger (2005), “The EU and Interregional Cooperation”, Hill, Christopher and Michael Smith (Eds.), International Relations and the European Union (Oxford: Oxford University Press): 317-343.

Del Sarto, Rafaela (2016), “Normative Empire Europe: The European Union, its Borderlands, and the ‘Arab Spring’,” JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 54 (2): 215-232.

EU-Egypt Action Plan (2007).

EU-Egypt Partnership Priorities (2017), 2017-2020 (Brussels, 16.06.2017).

European Commission (2007), A Strong European Neighbourhood Policy (Brussels).

European Commission (2009), Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in 2008 Progress Report Egypt (Brussels, 23/04/2009).

European Commission (2011), A resource-efficient Europe – Flagship initiative under the Europe 2020 Strategy (Brussels).

European Commission (2015), “Carbon Market Report”, https://ec.europa.eu/clima/news/carbon-market-report-ets-surplus-declinesfirst-time-2015_en.

European External Action Service (2011), http://www.eeas.europa.eu/euromed/barcelona_en.htm (23 September).

European Neighbourhood Instrument (2015), Fostering Reforms in the Egyptian Renewable Energy and Water Sectors through Developing Capacity Building (Egypt).

European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument (2009), Rural Development (Egypt).

European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument (2011a), Upgrading of Informal Areas (Egypt).

European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument (2011b), Energy Sector Policy Support Programme (Egypt).

European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument (2013a), National Solid Waste Management Programme (Egypt).

European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument (2013b), Joint EU Rural Development Programme under the ENPARD initiative (Egypt).

Fiedler, Radoslaw (2015), “Financial and Trade Instruments in the European Union’s Policy towards Egypt”, Potyrala, Anna, Beata Przybylska-Maszner and Sebastian Wojciechowski (Eds.), Relations between the European Union and Egypt after 2011 (Verlag: Berlin): 43-55.

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2011), Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: A New Response to a Changing Neighbourhood (Brussels, 25/05/2011).

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2015), Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Review of the European Neighbourhood Policy (Brussels, 18.11.2015).

International Panel on Climate Change (2011), Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation.

İşleyen, Beste (2015), “The EU and Neoliberal Governmentality”, European Journal of International Relations, 21 (3): 672–690.

Jaggard, Lyn (2007), “The Reflexivity of Ideas in Climate Change Policy: German, European and International Politics”, Harris, Paul (Ed.), Europe and Global Climate Change: Politics, Foreign Policy and Regional Cooperation (Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing): 323-349.

Joseph, Jonathan (2014), “The EU in the Horn of Africa: Building Resilience as a Distant Form of Governance”, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 52 (2): 285-301.

Konak, Nahide (2011), “Küresel İklim Değişikliği, Kyoto Protokolü Esneklik Mekanizmaları, Gönüllü Karbon Piyasası ve Türkiye: Eleştirel Yaklaşım,” Alternatif Politika, 3 (2): 154-178.

Kulovesi, Kati (2012), “Climate change in EU external relations: Please follow my example (or I might force you to)”, Morgera, Elisa (Ed.), The External Environmental Policy of the European Union: EU and International Law Perspectives (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press): 115-148.

Levy, David L. (2004), “Business and the Evolution of the Climate Regime,”

Levy, David L. and Peter J. Newell (Eds.), The Business of Global Environmental Governance (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press): 73-101.

Lohmann, Larry (2008), “Carbon Trading, Climate Justice and the Production of Ignorance: Ten examples”, Development, 51: 359-365.

Mandour, Maged (2019), “Europe in Egypt: White Man’s Burden”, Open Democracy, https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/north-africa-westasia/europe-in-egypt-the-white-mans-burden/ (21 October 2019).

Manners, Ian (2002), “Normative Power Europe: A Contradiction in Terms”, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 40 (2): 235–258.

Memorandum of Understanding (2018), Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership on Energy between the European Union and The Arab Republic of Egypt (2018-2022), https://library.euneighbours.eu/content/euegypt-memorandum-understanding-strategic-partnership-energy.

Morris, Craig (2014), “German Exports of Renewable Technology,” Energy Transition, 27 August, https://energytransition.org/2014/08/german-exports-ofrenewable-technology/.

Pasimeni, Francesco (2017), EU energy technology trade, Joint Research Center Science for Policy Report (Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union).

Prodi, Romano (2002), “A Wider Europe - A Proximity Policy as the key to stability”, Sixth ECSA-World Conference, 5-6 December (Brussels).

Proedrou, Filippos (2019), “Unpacking EU external energy governance vis-a-vis Egypt: contradictions, geopolitics and Euro-centrism”, Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 22 (2): 224-236.

Roccu, Roberto (2018), “Ordoliberalizing the Neighbourhood? The EU's Promotion of Regulatory Reforms in Egypt”, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 56 (5): 1070-1086.

Savaşan, Zerrin (2017), “A Brief Assessment on the Paris Climate Agreement and Compliance Issue”, Uluslararası İlişkiler, 14 (54): 107-125.

Schumacher, Tobias (2016), “Back to the Future: The ‘New’ ENP towards the Southern Neighbourhood and the End of Ambition”, College of Europe Policy Brief, January 2016.

Tagliapietra, Simone and George Zachmann (2016), “Energy across the Mediterranean: A Call for Realism”, Bruegel Policy Brief, 2016/3.

Toje, Asle (2011), “The European Union as a Small Power”, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 49 (1): 43–60.

Turhan Hurmi, Bahar (2011), “European Union’s Ineffective Middle East Policy Revealed After Revolution in Tunisia”, Alternatif Politika, 3 (3): 455-489.