Introduction
This section details out the energy efficiency and renewable energy policies that drive actions in the EU region, which aims towards reduced energy consumption and adoption of clean energy.
Key content
The European Green Deal
Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. To overcome these challenges, the European Green Deal will transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy, ensuring:
- no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050
- economic growth decoupled from resource use
- no person and no place left behind
The European Green Deal is also our lifeline out of the COVID-19 pandemic. One third of the €1.8 trillion investments from the NextGenerationEU Recovery Plan, and the EU’s seven-year budget will finance the European Green Deal. The European Commission has adopted a set of proposals to make the EU's climate, energy, transport, and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. More information on Delivering the European Green Deal.
Website https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
Fit for 55
The Fit for 55 package is a set of proposals to revise and update EU legislation and to put in place new initiatives with the aim of ensuring that EU policies are into line with the climate goals agreed by the Council and the European Parliament.
Fit for 55 refers to the EU’s target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The proposed package aims to bring EU legislation in line with the 2030 goal. The package of proposals aims at providing a coherent and balanced framework for reaching the EU's climate objectives, which ensures a just and socially fair transition, maintains and strengthens innovation and competitiveness of EU industry while ensuring a level playing field vis-à-vis third country economic operators, underpins the EU's position as leading the way in the global fight against climate change.
Website https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/green-deal/fit-for-55-the-eu-plan-for-a-green-transition
Energy and the Green Deal
The production and use of energy account for more than 75% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonising the EU’s energy system is therefore critical to reach our 2030 climate objectives and the EU’s long-term strategy of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.The European Green Deal focuses on 3 key principles for the clean energy transition, which will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the quality of life of our citizens: ensuring a secure and affordable EU energy supply, developing a fully integrated, interconnected and digitalised EU energy market prioritising energy efficiency, improving the energy performance of our buildings and developing a power sector based largely on renewable sources
The Green Deal Industrial Plan
Leading the clean tech revolution The Green Deal Industrial Plan enhances the competitiveness of Europe's net-zero industry and is accelerating the transition to climate neutrality. It does so by creating a more supportive environment for scaling up the EU's manufacturing capacity for the net-zero technologies and products required to meet Europe's ambitious climate targets.
REPowerEU: affordable, secure, and sustainable energy for Europe
Leading the clean tech revolution The Green Deal Industrial Plan enhances the competitiveness of Europe's net-zero industry and is accelerating the transition to climate neutrality. It does so by creating a more supportive environment for scaling up the EU's manufacturing capacity for the net-zero technologies and products required to meet Europe's ambitious climate targets.
EU Energy Platform
The platform aims at coordinating EU action and negotiations with external upstream suppliers to prevent EU countries from outbidding each other. It can also use the weight of the EU - as one of the biggest consumers of gas in the world - to achieve better conditions for all EU consumers. The platform was initiated in April 2022 following the mandate of the European Council in response to the need to diversify away from Russian gas. It covers a range of actions regarding natural gas and LNG (and in the future hydrogen) to support the EU’s security of supply and access to affordable energy, including international outreach, demand aggregation, and efficient use of EU gas infrastructures
Website https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-security/eu-energy-platform_en
The European Climate Law
The European Climate Law writes into law the goal set out in the European Green Deal for Europe’s economy and society to become climate-neutral by 2050. The law also sets the intermediate target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. Climate neutrality by 2050 means achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions for EU countries, mainly by cutting emissions, investing in green technologies, and protecting the natural environment. The law aims to ensure that all EU policies contribute to this goal and that all sectors of the economy and society play their part.
Website https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/european-green-deal/european-climate-law_en
Adaptation to Climate Change
The European Commission adopted its new EU strategy on adaptation to climate change on 24 February 2021. The new strategy sets out how the European Union can adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change and become climate resilient by 2050. The Strategy has four principal objectives: to make adaptation smarter, swifter and more systemic, and to step up international action on adaptation to climate change.
Smarter adaptation: Adaptation actions must be informed by robust data and risk assessment tools that are available to all – from families building homes, businesses in coastal regions and farmers planning their crops. To achieve this, the strategy proposes actions that push the frontiers of knowledge on adaptation so that we can gather more and better data on climate-related risks and losses and enhance Climate-ADAPT as the European platform for adaptation knowledge.
Website https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/adaptation-climate-change/eu-adaptation-strategy_en
EU Mission on Adaptation
The Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change focuses on supporting EU regions, cities, and local authorities in their efforts to build resilience against the impacts of climate change. The Mission’s objective is to accompany by 2030 at least 150 European regions and communities towards climate resilience. Read more about the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.
The Mission contributes to delivery of the EU Adaptation Strategy by helping the regions and local authorities to: Better understand the climate risks that they are and will be confronted with in the future. Develop their pathways to be better prepared and cope with the changing climate. Test and deploy on the ground innovative solutions needed to build resilience to climate change.
Just transition
The Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) is a key tool to ensure that the transition towards a climate-neutral economy happens in a fair way, leaving no one behind. It provides targeted support to help mobilise around €55 billion over the period 2021-2027 in the most affected regions, to alleviate the socio-economic impact of the transition.
Just transition platform
The Just Transition Platform (JTP) provides a single access point to support and knowledge on Europe’s transition to a sustainable, climate-neutral economy. The Platform is the EU's key tool to help Member States and regions unlock the support available through the Just Transition Mechanism, ensuring a fair and 'just' transition that leaves no person or region behind. On this page, you will find links to relevant information about Working Groups, events, and relevant funding opportunities, including through the Just Transition Fund.
Website https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funding/just-transition-fund/just-transition-platform_en
EU 2050 long-term strategy
The EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050 – an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. This objective is at the heart of the European Green Deal and in line with the EU’s commitment to global climate action under the Paris Agreement. The transition to a climate-neutral society is both an urgent challenge and an opportunity to build a better future for all. All parts of society and economic sectors will play a role – from the power sector to industry, mobility, buildings, agriculture, and forestry. The EU can lead the way by investing into realistic technological solutions, empowering citizens, and aligning action in key areas such as industrial policy, finance, and research, while ensuring social fairness for a just transition.
Website https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/climate-strategies-targets/2050-long-term-strategy_en
Energy efficiency
Energy efficiency - targets, directive, and rules: The 2012 directive, as amended in 2018, sets rules and obligations for the EU’s 2020 and 2030 energy efficiency targets. Heat pumps: The deployment of heat pumps across the EU will allow greater use of renewable sources and reduce energy consumption in households. Energy efficient buildings: Making buildings more energy efficient will contribute significantly to the EU achieving its energy and climate goals. Cogeneration of heat and power. The EU promotes cogeneration to improve energy efficiency in Europe. Energy label and eco-design: EU labelling and eco-design rules promote more energy efficient products, helping consumers to save energy and money. Eco-design for sustainable products: The new regulation will improve EU products’ circularity, energy performance and other environmental sustainability aspects. Financing: Mobilising private financing for energy efficiency investments. Heating and cooling: The EU's heating and cooling strategy addresses the large amount of energy used by the building sector and by industry.
Renewable energy
Given the need to speed up the EU clean energy transition, the Directive (2009/28/EC) was revised and entered into force in 2018. It has been legally binding since June 2021.
It sets the overarching European renewable energy target of 32% and includes rules to ensure the uptake of renewables in the transport sector and in heating and cooling, as well as common principles and rules for renewables support schemes, the rights to produce and consume renewable energy and to establish renewable energy communities, and sustainability criteria for biomass. It also establishes rules to remove barriers, stimulate investments and drive cost reductions in renewable energy technologies, and empowers citizens, consumers, and businesses to participate in the clean energy transformation.
In line with the European Green Deal, renewable energy is a pillar of the clean energy transition. It comes at a very low cost and is home-grown, which reduces our dependency on external suppliers. Therefore, our level of ambition as regards the share of renewables in the EU electricity mix and the measures to achieve it are regularly revised
Energy system integration
Sector integration means linking the various energy carriers - electricity, heat, cold, gas, solid and liquid fuels - with each other and with the end-use sectors, such as buildings, transport, or industry. Linking sectors will allow the optimisation of the energy system, rather than decarbonising and making separate efficiency gains in each sector independently. The new EU strategy will involve various existing and emerging technologies, processes, and business models, such as ICT and digitalisation, smart grids and meters and flexibility markets.
Strategy for an EU external energy engagement
The EU external energy engagement in a changing world presented on 18 May 2022 as part of the REPowerEU Plan, explains how the EU supports a global, clean, and just energy transition to ensure sustainable, secure, and affordable energy. The strategy is aiming to reduce overall energy demand and ensuring fair competition for resources boosting energy savings, energy efficiency and the development of renewables preparing for further EU energy market integration repairing energy infrastructure paving the way for a future green hydrogen partnership.
Website https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-strategy/strategy-eu-external-energy-engagement_en
National energy and climate plans - EU
Updating the plans 2023
By 30 June 2023, Member States will submit to the Commission draft updated NECPs in line with article 14 of the Governance Regulation. The Commission has published guidance to Member States on the process and scope of this update. The national energy and climate plans (NECPs) were introduced by the Regulation on the governance of the energy union and climate action (EU)2018/1999, agreed as part of the clean energy for all Europeans package which was adopted in 2019. Under the governance regulation Member States had to submit their draft NECPs for the period 2021-2030 to the Commission by 31 December 2018. These were analysed by the Commission with an overall assessment and country-specific recommendations published in June 2019. Taking these recommendations into account, Member States were then required to submit their final NECPs by 31 December 2019.
On 17 September 2020, the Commission published a detailed EU-wide assessment of the final NECPs. As a follow-up, and as part of the 2020 energy union report, the Commission published individual assessments of each of the national plans for further guidance.
EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
The CBAM will initially apply to imports of certain goods and selected precursors whose production is carbon intensive and at most significant risk of carbon leakage: cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity, and hydrogen. With this enlarged scope, CBAM will eventually – when fully phased in – capture more than 50% of the emissions in ETS covered sectors. Under the political agreement, the CBAM will enter into force in its transitional phase as of 1 October 2023.
Website https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/green-taxation-0/carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism_en
Renewable energy directive
Renewable energy directive
The renewable energy directive is the legal framework for the development of renewable energy across all sectors of the EU economy, supporting clean energy cooperation across EU countries.