Environmental policy and climate protection take place in multi-level institutional structures, especially in federal systems. This is not only the case in a variety of nation states such as India, but also in the quasi-federal system of the European Union. The institutional setting therein, as well as the division of tasks between different political levels, most likely effects problem-solving capacity in one way or another. Federal structures have their assets and drawbacks; as can be demonstrated by the background of numerous examples - among them US and European climate protection policies -, they provide for both innovation and gridlock. The purpose of this seminar is to study the constraints and potentials of political decision-making, implementation and management in the Indian multi-level system. Our main field of interest will be the cross-sectional problem of climate change and the policy areas related to it inter alia energy policy, transportation and industrial policy. We will compare the dynamics of multi-level governance in the European Union and India in respect to these policy issues and draw conclusions on the assets and drawbacks of their governance structures for effective problem-solving.