IKEM Deputy Scientific Director Michael Kalis, together with his co-editors Sirja-Leena Penttinen and Kim Talus, has published a new book on hydrogen law in Europe. The volume provides a comprehensive analysis of the emerging legal framework governing hydrogen as a key pillar of Europe’s energy transition and decarbonisation strategy.
Hydrogen is increasingly viewed as a central component of Europe’s pathway to climate neutrality and energy security. As policymakers seek to scale up hydrogen production and use, questions of regulation, governance, and market design have come to the forefront. The development of a hydrogen economy requires not only technological innovation and investment, but also a coherent and adaptable legal framework capable of addressing uncertainties and enabling market creation across the European Union and beyond.
The edited volume Hydrogen Law in the European Union and Europe brings together leading academic and practitioner perspectives to systematically examine what can be described as hydrogen law. Covering the entire hydrogen value chain, the book analyses regulatory developments ranging from production and certification to infrastructure, market design, public funding, and international trade. It situates hydrogen within the broader context of EU energy and climate law, explores key concepts such as renewable and low-carbon hydrogen, and addresses cross-cutting issues including state aid, network regulation, planning, public participation, and questions of justice. Complemented by regional and comparative case studies – including hydrogen valleys, hubs, and partnerships with third countries – the volume provides in-depth insights into regulatory challenges, emerging solutions, and future pathways.
The publication demonstrates that the EU has developed a broad and increasingly interconnected legal regime in which hydrogen does not appear as an isolated policy field, but as a consistent regulatory thread woven through multiple domains of EU competence. At the same time, the contributions suggest that EU hydrogen law can be considered adequate for market creation, but not yet for market maturity. Michael Kalis explains:
“Hydrogen markets in Europe are still nascent and developing under conditions of uncertainty. What our book shows is that EU hydrogen law must be understood as an evolving, experimental framework – one that learns through practice, adapts continuously, and balances ambitious climate goals with economic and technological realities. Its success will ultimately depend on its capacity to remain adaptable without losing credibility, ambitious without sacrificing realism, and effective without undermining legitimacy.”
The book is available as a hard copy from Routledge and can also be accessed online via Taylor & Francis.
Contributions to this volume have been made possible by national and European grants for research projects such as the THERESA Network (EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions), 2IMATCH (Finnish Strategic Research Council) and IFZO FragTrans (German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space).
