Project description
Legal pluralism and regulatory fragmentation in EU climate efforts
The EU is developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) solutions that are in line with the green transition and European Green Deal goals. Despite the necessity and importance of these efforts, varied and fragmented legal frameworks across the EU are creating challenges that threaten investment certainty, climate ambition and coherence. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PluriCarb project will analyse the impact of legal pluralism and regulatory fragmentation on the legitimacy and effectiveness of transboundary CCS regulation across the EU/EEA, particularly in the North Sea. The project will undertake comparative socio-legal analyses, assessing jurisdictional overlaps, definitional conflicts and institutional responses.
Objective
As the EU intensifies its reliance on carbon capture and storage (CCS) to meet net-zero targets by 2050, fragmented legal frameworks threaten coherence, investment certainty, and climate ambition. PluriCarb addresses this gap by analysing how legal pluralism and regulatory fragmentation affect the legitimacy and effectiveness of transboundary CCS regulation in the EU/EEA, specifically in the North Sea. Through comparative socio-legal analysis of three flagship projects: Greensand (Denmark), Northern Lights (Norway), and Porthos (Netherlands), PluriCarb maps definitional conflicts, jurisdictional overlaps, and institutional responses to legal uncertainty. These cases, strategically selected for their legal diversity, cross-border infrastructure, and regulatory innovation, are ideal for examining institutional bricolage and definitional contestation. Grounded in legal pluralism, multi-level governance, and regulatory theory, PluriCarb develops a novel framework for assessing how actors navigate overlapping mandates. Combining doctrinal legal analysis, interviews, and document analysis, the project generates actionable insights for EU/EEA and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) regulators and civil society, with a focus on definitional politics, bricolage, and forum shopping as mechanisms of adaptation. Findings will inform the implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), and the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), advancing the European Green Deal's goals of legal clarity, cross-border cooperation, and inclusive governance. Hosted at the Centre for Climate Change Law and Governance (CLIMA) at the University of Copenhagen, under the guidance of Professor Beatriz Martínez Romera, the fellowship produces academic publications, policy briefs, and engages stakeholders while enhancing expertise in legal analysis, qualitative interviewing, comparative methods, and policy communication.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.