Environmental Policy in Times of Crisis

Abstract

This chapter employs qualitative analysis to apply the Index of Policy Activity (IPA) to a relative newcomer to the European Union, Romania. The chapter analyses renewable energy legislation, and finds that the unexpected success of Romania in this policy area is actually a case of ‘reluctant and accidental compliance’ over the period 2008–17. The chapter reveals a case of active, high visibility dismantling from 2013 onwards, which domestic politicians consistently linked to the global financial crisis of 2007–8. However, the analysis suggests that past legacies, sloppy and vague policy formulation, and lack of learning were actually the real drivers of policy failure in Romania and therefore of policy dismantling.