The digital kick-off meeting for the WOW project took place in mid-December. Training courses and workshops delivered by IKEM aim to support Ukrainian research institutions in their integration into the European research landscape, while strengthening gender equality and innovative capacity.

A new academic volume on the legal framework of the energy transition in Europe has been published by Nomos. Edited by IKEM Director Prof. Dr Michael Rodi and Prof. Dr Johannes Saurer (University of Tübingen), the book offers a comprehensive comparative legal analysis of energy transition legislation in Europe and the United Kingdom.

An IKEM study by Rosa von der Stein on the legal framework for the certification of renewable methanol shows that this energy carrier holds significant potential for decarbonising the industrial and energy sectors. However, regulatory gaps regarding its recognition under European and national climate targets currently hinder its market establishment.

With the Road Traffic Remote Control Ordinance (StVFernLV), which entered into force on 1 December 2025, Germany has for the first time established a legal framework for the operation of remotely controlled vehicles. In a detailed opinion, Timon Plass and Sarah Marenbach welcome the introduction of the ordinance as an important step towards fully automated driving, while also identifying areas requiring further adjustment.

In a new article, Prof. Dr Ingo Uhlig and co-authors show how sufficiency can be communicated as a gain rather than a sacrifice. The contribution argues for policies that address structural inequalities and understand sufficiency as a collective right, forming the basis for more just and liveable futures.

This report summarises the key findings of the Interplan SES project. The project aimed to identify areas requiring adaptation in energy infrastructure planning and to develop concrete recommendations. A particular focus was placed on the extent to which the System Development Strategy (SES) can contribute to more integrated, robust and resilient planning.

Dr Alexandra Appel was a speaker at the autumn conference of the South Tyrolean Platform Land on 3 December. In her presentation, she outlined the transformation of rural mobility and addressed challenges, solutions and future visions.

The amendment to the Buildings Energy Act, which entered into force in 2024, was intended to provide new impetus for climate protection in the buildings sector. Another reform is now imminent. At the Forum Wärmewende on 10 December, we discussed the Federal Government’s plans as well as the expectations of industry and consumers regarding the future design of the Buildings Energy Act.

On 11 December, Susan Wilms and Leandra Schulz presented their study at a conference in Mittweida. Commissioned by the Saxon State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labour, Energy and Climate Protection and the Saxon Energy Agency (SAENA), and conducted jointly with the Research Centre for Energy Economics (FfE), the study examines pathways to advance the decarbonisation of the Saxon economy.

Contributions include:

• Klaus Mindrup: Flexibility and sector coupling – why Germany should rely on local price signals

• Dr Michael Kalis: Climate neutrality under close scrutiny? – the new anticipatory governance architecture of the Federal Climate Protection Act

• Caroline Mindach: What is new? Climate protection in (specialist) planning, with particular reference to federal trunk road planning

• Leonie Durschang / Simon Großmann: Legal feasibility of marginal-cost-based grid charges

• News: New forest protection fund (TFFF) launched

• News: COP30 in Belém

• Case law: Federal Administrative Court, 27 March 2025 – 7 A 3.24: Immission control approval for an LNG terminal

• Case law: Court of Justice of the European Union, 16 October 2025 – C-391/23: Taxation of electricity from renewable energy sources

Are you researching legal aspects of climate change and interested in publishing your work? Contact the editorial team: klimr@ikem.de.

Join the IKEM team! We are currently recruiting:

• Legal trainees
• Interns

We also offer positions for doctoral researchers.

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