| Abstract [eng] |
This Master's thesis examines how France and Germany exert bilateral leadership in solving climate change problems. As the EU is going through multiple crises at the same time and climate change prognosis is becoming increasingly more threatening, political leadership is necessary to bring stability and help accomplish common EU goals. The Franco – German duo historically has acted as a “motor” in promoting European integration and overcoming challenges. While both countries emphasize the need for cooperation in solving climate crisis, given their recent disagreements and the general questioning of their influence in enlarged EU, it remains unclear how both countries exert climate leadership and what determines its effectiveness and limitations. To answer this question, the theoretical framework is constructed using several approaches. Firstly, relying on several perceptions of leadership, the main criteria, types and styles of political and climate leadership are identified. Secondly, based on Ulrich Krotz and Joachim Schild’s concept of “embedded bilateralism”, the functioning of Franco – German relationship is explained. Combining both approaches, the main criteria to determine the effectiveness of leadership, are established: power resources, domestic circumstances, credibility, willingness to provide leadership and the demand for leadership. The research is conducted through the analysis of thematically and chronologically selected cases. Using qualitative content and document analysis, it is investigated how the leadership criteria occur during the implementation of the European Green Deal. Firstly, Franco – German actions on establishing the goal of climate neutrality by 2050 in EU is analysed; the second case examine Franco – German actions in the immediate aftermath of the EGD in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, the cooperation between two countries is analysed in the context of 2022-2022 energy crisis. The study reveals that France and Germany express limited bilateral leadership on climate change. Although the states agree that the effects of climate change pose a threat, effective cooperation between the countries is limited by internal circumstances. |
