Foreign experience in implementing energy strategies: legal aspect

Abstract

Purpose. The article is devoted to a comparative legal analysis of foreign experience in implementing energy strategies in leading states and at the supranational level of the European Union, with a focus on the legal mechanisms of their implementation. Methods. The study employs the comparative legal method to juxtapose the legal systems of energy regulation in different states, the formal legal method to interpret norms of international and national legislation, and the system-structural method to identify common patterns and differences in the legal support of energy strategies. Results. It is established that the implementation of energy strategies in foreign countries relies on an extensive legislative framework that includes both general framework laws and sector-specific normative acts. At the EU level, key roles are played by the "Fit for 55" package, Directive (EU) 2023/2413 amending the Renewable Energy Directive to set a binding target of at least 42.5% of renewables in total EU energy consumption by 2030, and Directive (EU) 2023/1791 on energy efficiency. The experience of the Federal Republic of Germany demonstrates the effectiveness of combining the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG 2023) with sector-specific laws, in particular the Federal Climate Protection Act (Bundes-Klimaschutzgesetz), which establishes legally binding greenhouse gas reduction targets. The legal model of the French Republic is based on the Energy and Climate Law of 2019, which for the first time legislatively enshrined the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and introduced the High Council for the Climate as an independent oversight body. Conclusions. It is concluded that the leading trends in legal regulation of energy strategy implementation abroad – the legally binding nature of targets, the principle of "climate neutrality", acceleration of permitting procedures and strengthened independent monitoring – are of significant interest for improving Ukrainian legislation in the context of European integration.