CATF urges policymakers to use all innovative tools available to EU Member States to make National Energy and Climate Plans work
Brussels – Today, Clean Air Task Force (CATF) has launched a series of thematic Playbooks designed to empower national stakeholders across Europe to enhance their updated National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) ahead of the June 2024 deadline.
The Playbooks assess draft NECPs and foster innovative approaches to help meet EU targets by focusing on thematic areas:
- clean hydrogen,
- methane mitigation,
- carbon capture and storage,
- small modular reactors, and
- superhot rock geothermal energy.
“Europe needs a broad portfolio of solutions available to it in order to decarbonise and boost energy security,” said Nicole Pavia, Program Manager, Clean Energy Infrastructure Deployment. “The Playbooks we launched today identify gaps in planning for a range of decarbonisation options and provide guidance to improve National Energy and Climate Plans accordingly before the June deadline.”
In December 2023, the Commission assessed draft NECPs and concluded that they are not yet sufficient to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Union’s objectives. Similarly, the European Climate Neutrality Observatory concluded that the EU needs to accelerate the implementation of the European Green Deal.
“The 10-year National Energy and Climate Plans outline how EU countries intend to meet the EU energy and climate targets for 2030. With major legislative frameworks now largely in place, climate goals will remain out of reach unless these plans are seriously improved,” said Alejandra Muñoz Castañer, European Government Affairs Manager at CATF.
In September last year, Clean Air Task Force released a report urging European Union Member States to maximise the short- and medium-term planning potential of their NECPs. The report, “Bridging the Planning Gap: Transforming European NECPs to Deliver on Climate Targets,” identifies opportunities for NECP updates to address rapid changes in the European climate policy landscape, the need to plan for unprecedented clean energy deployment over the coming decade, as well as the new geopolitical reality facing the continent.
EU Member States are due to present their updated NECPs by June 2024.
Press Contact
Julia Kislitsyna, Communications Manager – Europe, +49 151 16 220 453, [email protected]
About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With more than 25 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
