EU Commission Action Call

The Commission has published its assessment of the Member States' draft plans to implement the objectives of the Energy Union within the EU and in particular the agreed EU energy and climate targets for 2030.

The assessment notes that the national plans already contain significant efforts, but points to several areas where improvement is needed, in particular targeted policies to ensure that the 2030 targets are met and to stay on track towards climate neutrality in the long term.

The European Union is the first major international community in the world to have established a legally binding framework to meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement, and this is the first time that Member States have drafted integrated national energy and climate plans (NECPs). As the current plans are insufficient both in terms of renewable energies and of contributions to energy efficiency, achieving the EU's overall climate and energy goals will require a common increase in ambition.

Energy Union Vice-President Maros Šefcovic said: "Member States have all produced impressive drafts in a relatively short time, but no draft is perfect. Final plans are due by the end of the year and our recommendations show where more effort is needed: for example, stronger ambition, more policy detail, better specified investment needs, or more work on social fairness. Clarity and predictability are a real competitive advantage for the European energy and climate policy. So let's make the best of this opportunity and give the national plans a solid final push.”

Member States now have six months to raise their national ambitions. The Commission's recommendations and detailed assessments are designed to help Member States complete their plans by the end of 2019 and implement them effectively in the coming years.