Analysing Experimentalist Governance in Europe’s Ecological Transition through National Action Plans and their Variation across Member States

The European Union’s (EU) ecological transition requires significant cross-sectoral transformations. However, uniform regulation may not adequately address regulatory complexities or acknowledge national differences. Therefore, the EU has adopted experimentalist governance (XG), promoting common goals while allowing member states to define specific actions at national levels, with regular review and revision at EU level. Despite the potential benefits of XG, there a research gap regarding its practical implementation. This paper compares XG arrangements in two policy areas within the context of Europe’s ecological transition. It focuses on national action plans in energy policy and circular economy policy to determine whether XG leads to national-level experimentation or convergence. The study analyses 54 national action plans, examining horizontal scope and vertical specificity to understand how different member states frame and implement their policies. Our findings offer insights into the different effects of XG designs. Thus, we shed light on the functioning of experimentalist governance approaches to drive transformation processes, such as Europe’s ecological transition.