From an economic and climate policy perspective, linking emissions trading systems is an attractive option. For that reason, the linking of emissions trading systems has received an increasing amount of attention in the political debate as well as in the research in recent years. In that context, issues that have received less attention are the legal and institutional arrangements for linked ETS: On what legal basis can Emissions Trading Systems be linked, which potential difficulties should be covered in a linking agreement, how can decisions be agreed upon and differences be settled and how could the linking agreement be terminated?

The objective of the project is to analyse and evaluate the design of institutions, structures and mechanisms facilitating the linking of emissions trading systems. The project addresses the diverse issues arising in the context of the linking of emissions trading systems, including legal, procedural and institutional questions.