IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ieaple/v25y2025i3d10.1007_s10784-025-09672-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Regulatory momentum for an energy subsidies agreement in the wake of the fisheries subsidies agreement

Author

Listed:
  • Catherine E. Gascoigne

    (Macquarie University)

Abstract

The recent conclusion of the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO) offers renewed hope and momentum for the possibility of concluding a similar sector-specific agreement concerning energy subsidies. Such a sector-specific agreement is critical in view of: (1) the lack of policy space currently available to WTO Members to carry out renewable energy projects; (2) perverse incentives that currently exist under the Subsidies and Countervailing Measures Agreement to litigate renewable energy subsidies in preference to fossil fuel subsidies; and (3) the lack of a clear plan at the international level to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. The need for more policy space in order to promote renewable energy projects became clear in the panel and Appellate Body decisions in the Canada—Renewable Energy/Canada—Feed-in Tariff Program case in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Since then, there have been several proposals for law reform. This article will consider the advantages and disadvantages of each of these proposals before turning to consider why a sector-specific agreement to regulate energy subsidies under the auspices of the WTO would be the best solution.

Suggested Citation

  • Catherine E. Gascoigne, 2025. "Regulatory momentum for an energy subsidies agreement in the wake of the fisheries subsidies agreement," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 381-401, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ieaple:v:25:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s10784-025-09672-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10784-025-09672-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10784-025-09672-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10784-025-09672-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mr. David Coady & Ian W.H. Parry & Louis Sears & Baoping Shang, 2015. "How Large Are Global Energy Subsidies?," IMF Working Papers 2015/105, International Monetary Fund.
    2. Kahler, Miles, 2000. "Conclusion: The Causes and Consequences of Legalization," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 54(3), pages 661-683, July.
    3. Daron Acemoglu & Ali Kakhbod & Asuman Ozdaglar, 2017. "Competition in Electricity Markets with Renewable Energy Sources," The Energy Journal, , vol. 38(1_suppl), pages 137-156, June.
    4. Henok Birhanu Asmelash, 2015. "Energy Subsidies and WTO Dispute Settlement: Why Only Renewable Energy Subsidies Are Challenged," Journal of International Economic Law, Oxford University Press, vol. 18(2), pages 261-285.
    5. Jessica Jewell & David McCollum & Johannes Emmerling & Christoph Bertram & David E. H. J. Gernaat & Volker Krey & Leonidas Paroussos & Loïc Berger & Kostas Fragkiadakis & Ilkka Keppo & Nawfal Saadi & , 2018. "Limited emission reductions from fuel subsidy removal except in energy-exporting regions," Nature, Nature, vol. 554(7691), pages 229-233, February.
    6. Bernard M Hoekman & Petros C Mavroidis & Sunayana Sasmal, 2023. "Managing Externalities in the WTO: The Agreement On Fisheries Subsidies," Journal of International Economic Law, Oxford University Press, vol. 26(2), pages 266-284.
    7. Asmelash, Henok, 2022. "The First Ten Years of WTO Jurisprudence on Renewable Energy Support Measures: Has the Dust Settled Yet?," World Trade Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(4), pages 455-478, October.
    8. Hornborg, Alf, 2023. "Unpacking the black box of ‘energy technology’: How abstraction and resource fungibility obscure ecologically unequal exchange," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    9. Low, Patrick, 2022. "The WTO in Crisis: Closing the Gap between Conversation and Action or Shutting Down the Conversation?," World Trade Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(3), pages 274-290, July.
    10. Liam Campling & Elizabeth Havice, 2013. "Mainstreaming Environment and Development at the World Trade Organization? Fisheries Subsidies, the Politics of Rule-Making, and the Elusive ‘Triple Win’," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 45(4), pages 835-852, April.
    11. Harro van Asselt & Kati Kulovesi, 2017. "Seizing the opportunity: tackling fossil fuel subsidies under the UNFCCC," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 357-370, June.
    12. Young, Margaret A., 2009. "Fragmentation or interaction: the WTO, fisheries subsidies, and international law," World Trade Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(4), pages 477-515, October.
    13. Aaron Cosbey & Petros C. Mavroidis, 2014. "A Turquoise Mess: Green Subsidies, Blue Industrial Policy and Renewable Energy: The Case for Redrafting the Subsidies Agreement of the WTO," Journal of International Economic Law, Oxford University Press, vol. 17(1), pages 11-47.
    14. Luca Rubini, 2012. "Ain't Wastin' Time No More: Subsidies for Renewable Energy, The SCM Agreement, Policy Space, and Law Reform," Journal of International Economic Law, Oxford University Press, vol. 15(2), pages 525-579, June.
    15. Margaret A. Young, 2017. "Energy transitions and trade law: lessons from the reform of fisheries subsidies," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 371-390, June.
    16. Seung Wha Chang, 2003. "Wto Disciplines On Fisheries Subsidies: A Historic Step Towards Sustainability?," Journal of International Economic Law, Oxford University Press, vol. 6(4), pages 879-921, December.
    17. Aaron Cosbey & Petros C. Mavroidis, 2014. "A Turquoise Mess: Green Subsidies, Blue Industrial Policy and Renewable Energy: the Case for Redrafting the Subsidies Agreement of the WTO," RSCAS Working Papers 2014/17, European University Institute.
    18. Petros C. Mavroidis, 2014. "A Turquoise Mess: Green Subsidies, Blue Industrial Policy and Renewable Energy: the Case for Redrafting the Subsidies Agreement of the WTO," EUI-RSCAS Working Papers p0368, European University Institute (EUI), Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies (RSCAS).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thijs Van de Graaf & Harro van Asselt, 2017. "Introduction to the special issue: energy subsidies at the intersection of climate, energy, and trade governance," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 313-326, June.
    2. Dirk Bièvre & Ilaria Espa & Arlo Poletti, 2017. "No iceberg in sight: on the absence of WTO disputes challenging fossil fuel subsidies," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 411-425, June.
    3. Bougette, Patrice & Charlier, Christophe, 2015. "Renewable energy, subsidies, and the WTO: Where has the ‘green’ gone?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 407-416.
    4. Nelson, Douglas & Puccio, Laura, 2021. "Nihil novi sub sole: The Need for Rethinking WTO and Green Subsidies in Light of United States – Renewable Energy," World Trade Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(4), pages 491-508, October.
    5. Carolyn Fischer, 2017. "Environmental Protection for Sale: Strategic Green Industrial Policy and Climate Finance," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 66(3), pages 553-575, March.
    6. Ahmad Bathaei & Dalia Štreimikienė, 2023. "Renewable Energy and Sustainable Agriculture: Review of Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-24, September.
    7. Charnovitz, Steve & Fischer, Carolyn, 2015. "Canada–Renewable Energy: Implications for WTO Law on Green and Not-So-Green Subsidies," World Trade Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(2), pages 177-210, April.
    8. Brewster, Rachel & Brunel, Claire & Mayda, Anna Maria, 2016. "Trade in Environmental Goods: A Review of the WTO Appellate Body's Ruling in US‒Countervailing Measures (China)," World Trade Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(2), pages 327-349, April.
    9. Bernard Hoekman & Douglas Nelson, 2020. "Rethinking international subsidy rules," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(12), pages 3104-3132, December.
    10. Margaret A. Young, 2017. "Energy transitions and trade law: lessons from the reform of fisheries subsidies," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 371-390, June.
    11. Xie, Xuemei & Wang, Mengge, 2025. "Dark side of green subsidies: Do green subsidies to a focal firm crowd out peers’ green innovation?," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    12. Carolyn Fischer & Mads Greaker & Knut Einar Rosendahl, 2014. "Robust Policies against Emission Leakage: The Case for Upstream Subsidies," CESifo Working Paper Series 4742, CESifo.
    13. Bernard M Hoekman & Petros C Mavroidis & Sunayana Sasmal, 2023. "Managing Externalities in the WTO: The Agreement On Fisheries Subsidies," Journal of International Economic Law, Oxford University Press, vol. 26(2), pages 266-284.
    14. Fischer, Carolyn & Greaker, Mads & Rosendahl, Knut Einar, 2017. "Robust technology policy against emission leakage: The case of upstream subsidies," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 44-61.
    15. Cecile Couharde & Sara Mouhoud, 2020. "Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Income Inequality, And Poverty: Evidence From Developing Countries," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(5), pages 981-1006, December.
    16. Xu, Shengqing, 2021. "The paradox of the energy revolution in China: A socio-technical transition perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    17. Katharine Heyl & Felix Ekardt & Lennard Sund & Paula Roos, 2022. "Potentials and Limitations of Subsidies in Sustainability Governance: The Example of Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-26, November.
    18. Svetlana Gercheva, 2022. "Green Electricity Subsidies in Bulgaria - Vectors of (re)distribution," Izvestia Journal of the Union of Scientists - Varna. Economic Sciences Series, Union of Scientists - Varna, Economic Sciences Section, vol. 11(1), pages 18-26, April.
    19. Xu, Shang & Zhang, Jun, 2023. "The welfare impacts of removing coal subsidies in rural China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    20. McCulloch, Neil & Moerenhout, Tom & Yang, Joonseok, 2021. "Fuel subsidy reform and the social contract in Nigeria: A micro-economic analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ieaple:v:25:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s10784-025-09672-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.