Several EU member states’ National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) need to be improved in order to be in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change, according to a new report.
The CAN Europe and Portuguese NGO Zero report – ‘Pave the way for increased climate ambition: Opportunities and gaps in the final National Energy and Climate Plans’ – examines 15 NECPs and found that a number of countries made some improvements in their final NECPs, both in terms of targets and of policies and measures compared with earlier draft plans.
However, the improvements are not enough to catalyse the energy transition required to achieve the long term objective of the Paris Agreement, the report said.
It said that as none of the current 2030 targets are adequate for the EU to deliver on its commitments under the Paris Agreement, member states should continuously improve their NECPs and go beyond what is required to meet the overall EU climate and energy targets for 2030.
“This will help implement the envisaged increase of the EU’s 2030 climate target as proposed by the (European) Commission’s flagship European Green Deal initiative,” CAN Europe and Zero said.
The report found that of the 15 plans analysed only Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Greece increased their national climate targets.
However, except for the new economy-wide Danish climate target of 70% emission reductions by 2030, these increased ambitions are not in line with the levels required by the Paris Agreement to achieve the 1.5°C target.
Denmark should be an example for all member states, the report said.
It added that member states’ renewable energy and energy efficiency contributions slightly improved compared to the drafts but not to the levels required to achieve the long term objective of the Paris Agreement.
The European Commission is expected to present its assessment on the final NECPs in the coming months.
“The European Commission needs to issue new recommendations and continue pushing member states to increase their ambition as these plans will play a crucial role by setting the frame for the green recovery of Europe,” CAN Europe and Zero said.
CAN Europe director Wendel Trio said: “National Energy and Climate Plans have the potential to prepare the ground for increased climate ambition in Europe and direct investments in the next 10 years for a just and climate neutral recovery to tackle both the climate and economic crises.
“The opportunities underlined in this report should serve as a guidance for Member States on where to put their money to achieve climate neutrality and stimulate the economy.”
Zero director Francisco Ferreira said: “We have huge challenges ahead of us, such as the increase of the share of renewables in countries like Portugal and the implementation of structural measures concerning energy efficiency.
“To ensure that National Energy and Climate Plans fulfil their objectives, civil society has a major role in monitoring the performance of the scheduled policies and measures. This report is a first but relevant step towards this goal.”