Legitimacy and EU Biofuel Governance: In Search of Greater Coherence.

The eu regulatory framework for sustainable biofuels is an example of today's dynamic European climate and energy governance. The article demonstrates that there are, however, particular internal controversies that continue to undermine the overall credibility of the eu biofuel regime, as well as the effectiveness and legitimacy of the scheme. In connection with the debate on new governance, the article explores the concepts of input and output legitimacy as regards the verification of compliance with biofuel sustainability criteria. The article shows that if the procedural requirements to satisfy input legitimacy are not met, there is a risk that output legitimacy--the credibility of the substantive outcome--will also be diminished. By paying attention to the process and harmonizing the itemized process-related elements we can improve both the appropriate achievement of the substantive outcome as well as the legitimacy of eu biofuel governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]