The implementation of Building and Energy Efficiency measures under the European Green Deal and their impact on a country’s innovation level

This study explores the intricate relationship between regulatory initiatives within the European Green Deal framework, with a particular focus on Topic 4 comprising the sector of Building and Energy Efficiency, and the concept of innovation across Member States of the European Union. The study unfolds in four chapters, originating with a description of the European Green Deal’s historical origin, overarching objectives, and its eight enounced prominent challenges, as well as its relevance within the wider context of European policies. Consequently, the second Chapter reveals the extensive process of constructing a comprehensive policy database, encompassing a year-long endeavor accomplished through the collaborative effort of a dedicated research team that saw me as part of. This endeavor resulted in the development of an in-depth database, encompassing each European Member State’s legislative response to the primary European Directives for each of the eight topics of the European Green Deal. This segment then concluded with a scrupulous analysis of the created database, highlighting those Member States, such as Finland among the Northern European states, showcasing the highest commitment to interpreting and implementing national legislations stemming from the EU Green Deal Directives. Furthermore, a further analysis was performed on the constructed database on the balance between market and non-market-based policies, both in aggregate and on a per-topic basis, offering a nuanced understanding of the most common policy approaches. The third Chapter embarks on the more creative phase of the study, focusing on an extensive research effort guided by a hypothesis postulating a positive correlation between a Country’s implementation of national regulations stemming from EU Green Deal Topic 4’s Directives and innovation. The latter factor is quantified by the aggregated number of patents granted annually by the European Patent Office. While the ultimate findings unveiled a nuanced relationship, falling short of affirming a significant connection between the two previously mentioned factors, an intriguing insight emerged regarding the considerable influence of economic conditions on innovation. In conclusion, this study bestows valuable insights into the complex interaction of policy and innovation within the scope of European sustainability initiatives and it paves the way for interesting future areas of study.