EU says it is on track to meet main 2030 climate and energy goals
An audit of the implementation of National Energy and Climate Plans mandated by European Climate Law showed most member states had "substantially" shown improvement, particularly following new recommendations in December 2023, the European Commission said in a news release.
"The commission's assessment shows that the EU is currently on course to reduce net GHG emissions by around 54% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, if member states implement fully existing and planned national measures and EU policies," the commission said.
The estimate for the proportion of energy that will come from renewables was 41%.
"In the current geopolitical context, this demonstrates that the EU is staying the course on its climate commitments, investing with determination in the clean energy transition and prioritizing the EU's industrial competitiveness and the social dimension," the statement added.
The findings from updated plans submitted by 23 of the 27 member states, as of the middle of last month, mark a turnaround for Brussels, which had been warning that the last set of plans from 2023 indicated 2030 climate and energy goals were in danger of slipping.
"When we play our cards and instruments in a smart manner, we deliver as a continent," said EU competition and climate chief, Teresa Ribera of Spain.
But she warned the bloc must continue to press forward because with climate disasters becoming more frequent unpreparedness "imposes more cost to our economy and creates more social harm."
Belgium, Poland and Estonia, which have yet to submit their final NECPs, almost a year away from the June 30 deadline, "must do so without delay," warned the European Commission, which said it was in the process of reviewing Slovakia's submission received last month.
The commission acknowledged issues with other goals in the 2030 targets on carbon absorption and energy efficiency with the bloc failing to establish sufficient forests and other areas that act as carbon sinks to absorb the required 310 millions tons of CO2 a year.
Member states were also forecast to miss a target to reduce energy consumption by 11.7% by boosting efficiency with current projections showing usage set to come down by just 8.1%.
The European Commission said the next phase would focus on channeling public funds into "transformative" investments, fostering private investment and coordinating the effort on a EU level but also regionally to meet the goals.
The projected cost to achieve all the targets is an eye-watering $644.5 billion, although the commission said that number had to be weighed against the $486 billion EU nations paid for imported fossil fuels in 2023.
However, the whole enterprise pivots on member states remaining committed amid mounting public dissatisfaction with the associated disruption and expense amid a cost of living crisis and a growing squeeze on government budgets, particularly from pressure to up the proportion of national income spent on defense.
U.S. President Donald Trump has continued an effort begun in his first 2017-2021 term to pressure NATO's European members -- most of which still spend less than 2.5% of GDP on defense -- to pick up more of the tab by raising that figure to 5%.
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