The Commission has today published its assessment of the draft updated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) of Austria, with recommendations on where Austria should raise its ambitions in line with the agreed EU objectives for 2030. This follows the individual assessments and recommendations on draft updated NECPs previously published for all 26 other EU countries.
NECPs are key instruments to reach our 2030 energy and climate goals, outlining measures to be taken at national level so that EU countries can meet their commitments under the framework of the European Green Deal.
Last December, in a communication assessing the aggregated impact of the draft NECPs, the Commission found that the cumulative impact of the drafts is not yet sufficient to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, as required under the so-called ‘Fit for 55’ legislation.
Today, the Commission calls on Austria – as previously with other EU countries – to enhance its efforts. For example, the updated Austrian plan presents a share of renewable energy that sufficiently contributes to the EU-wide target, but more ambitious measures are necessary to meet the greenhouse gas emission reduction and the energy efficiency targets. Additional measures are also encouraged to empower consumers, improve energy security and stimulate the competitiveness of European industry. As with the previous assessments, many of the recommendations relate to raising the level of ambition in particular aspects and to providing additional detail on concrete measures to support these ambitions.
Under EU rules, EU countries were supposed to submit their final NECPs by the end of June 2024, taking into account the Commission recommendations on the draft plans. To date, 14 EU countries have provided a final updated NECP. At the Energy Council earlier this week, EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson reiterated the call for the remaining EU countries to submit their final NECPs as soon as possible, taking into account the Commission’s recommendations.
