Green Backlash - The EU Climate & Energy Governance at War and in Peace - Seminar recap
On May 22nd, 2025, the OHPA hosted a seminar with Dr. Pierre Bocquillon from the University of East Anglia. In his talk “The Green Backlash: EU Climate and Energy Governance in Times of War and Peace”, Dr. Bocquillon examined the recent surge in opposition to EU climate policy and what it reveals about the evolving political landscape in Europe.
Drawing on his ongoing collaborative research, Dr. Bocquillon unpacked the shift from what he termed “enabling politicization” during the launch of the European Green Deal in 2019—marked by strong public mobilization and political support—toward a more “constraining politicization” in recent years. He argued that this shift is driven by economic pressures, energy security concerns due to the war in Ukraine, and the rise of populist and far-right parties across Europe.
Despite the ambitious legislative progress made under the Green Deal, Bocquillon emphasized that implementation is increasingly threatened by backdoor dismantling and delays, particularly in areas like agriculture, emissions standards, and deforestation regulation. He also explored the influence of ideological narratives framing green policies as elite-driven and burdensome.
The seminar concluded with a critical discussion on the resilience of EU climate policy in an era of geopolitical tension, economic anxiety, and growing climate populism.
The full talk as well as the subsequent discussion is available to view on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/vTuBG8hUTuk