Political and regulatory framework

The overarching climate goals, which cover all sectors, are negotiated worldwide and have been agreed upon in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. For the European Union, this agreement is implemented within the framework of the Green Deal or the European Climate Law, and in Germany in the Climate Protection Act. Most of the legal requirements described below are integrated into these frameworks or explicitly refer to them. The instruments differ in their binding nature. International agreements mainly refer to transnational transport carriers such as aviation and shipping. Only in the case of the transport of dangerous goods are overarching provisions laid down for all means of transport, which have in turn been integrated into national legislation.

The European Union sets the framework for the proportion of renewable energy and fuels used in transport, the GHG emissions avoidance associated with them and their taxation, as well as the framework for the regulations on fuel quality and the handling of chemical substances. It regulates the registration and public procurement of vehicles as well as the infrastructure for adapting them for use with alternative fuels. Many parts of the national legislation refer to international agreements and European requirements, thereby creating the remaining framework for binding regulations. The figure shows an overview of the main framework conditions for renewable energies in transport and their interrelation. In addition to the spatial reference level (horizontal), an allocation was made to the categories fuels, vehicles and infrastructure (vertical). Depending on the category, there are different overarching interconnections and direct dependencies. In addition, groupings are used to clarify content-related affiliations or subordinate priorities.