ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the emerging global hydrogen economy, with a focus on its legal and geopolitical dimensions. Anchored in the European Union's vision for a hydrogen economy, it situates Europe within broader international dynamics and explores the prospects for global hydrogen trade amid shifting geopolitical landscapes and the ongoing crisis of multilateralism. By analysing existing international legal frameworks, the chapter identifies key legal challenges and constraints for hydrogen governance, including trade, environmental, and other relevant branches of international law. Central questions include: What is the current structure of the global hydrogen economy? Which drivers and shifts are shaping its evolution? The chapter also investigates the roles of multilateral, bilateral, and unilateral approaches as mechanisms for gradually building a potentially plurilateral hydrogen economy. Concluding reflections focus on the design of a sustainable and equitable legal framework capable of supporting international hydrogen trade.
