The European Commission on Wednesday called on EU member states that have yet to submit their final energy and climate plans to do so as soon as possible, emphasizing that these plans are a “key step” in the bloc’s efforts to meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for 2030, according to EFE.
Out of the 27 member states, only 10 — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden — have submitted their plans to the Commission.
In response, the Commission “urges the remaining member states to submit their plans without delay to allow for a swift and comprehensive analysis at the European level,” stating that this would also “provide a solid platform to address obstacles, share best practices, improve regional coordination, and enable a rapid and robust implementation of our 2030 targets,” according to the energy state report presented by EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson.
Brussels reminded member state governments that they “must step up their efforts to ensure a sufficient level of ambition and to keep the EU on track” to meet its climate goals.
The report shows that the analysis of the submitted energy and climate plans reveals increased ambition, but the European Commission finds this ambition still “insufficient to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030” compared to 1990 levels.
Specifically, the Commission estimates that the current plans would lead to a 51% reduction in CO2 emissions by the end of the decade — four percentage points short of the required target.
The report also warns that “only a few member states have included detailed actions in their updated plans regarding climate adaptation in the context of their energy systems’ resilience.”
The United Nations, which will host its next COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan in November, has repeatedly stressed that governments worldwide must improve their plans to combat climate change, as current projections will not meet the goal of limiting global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century.
