Germany aims to submit delayed draft climate plan update to EU this summer – ministry

The German government aims to submit the draft update of the country’s national energy and climate plan (NECP) to the EU sometime this summer, a spokesperson from the economy and climate ministry (BMWK) told Clean Energy Wire. The draft was due for all EU member states by 30 June 2023, but many countries have yet to hand them in to the European Commission. Several major German energy and climate reports – such as the energy transition monitoring report or the emissions projections report – have been delayed due to the energy crisis and crucial legislative changes which were introduced at national and EU levels over the past year. The spokesperson said that the economy ministry plans to put the draft NECP up for public consultation with stakeholders such as NGOs and other EU member states in the second half of 2023 and early 2024.

National energy and climate plans outline how EU member states aim to tackle issues like decarbonisation, energy efficiency and energy security between now and 2030. The final updates are due by June 2024. The Commission has said that the energy crisis exacerbated by Russia’s war against Ukraine gave “a strong impetus to accelerate the implementation of the European Green Deal” – the bloc’s green growth strategy towards climate neutrality by 2050. It said the NECP updates should “focus on the need for more ambitious climate action, a faster clean energy transition and increased energy security.” Germany had submitted its original plan for the 2021-2030 period in 2019, so the update must take into account all major developments since then. For example, the EU has overhauled most of its energy and climate legislation to reach higher climate targets, Germany has since introduced its target of climate neutrality by 2045, the energy crisis has upended the country’s energy supply, and the current ruling coalition has introduced a raft of legislation to speed up the move to net zero emissions.