Country guides and Dispatches

The European Union announced itself as a potential early climate champion in 2018 by pledging to reach climate-neutrality by 2050. Yet, rules and regulations are needed to bring emissions down sufficiently to make ‘climate neutrality’ a feasible reality. A lot of work has been done but much is still on the agenda. Politics clashes with policy, continuing to influence what degree of legislative ambition can be pursued.

Despite a fresh set of decarbonisation goals published in 2023, France continues to focus on the deployment of nuclear reactors rather than closing the gap on the expansion of clean energy sources between itself and other EU member states. The published goals start with the progressive phaseout of fossil fuels, though the new reactors will likely cost more than expected. Whether the pace of development is too slow for some or the targets not ambitious enough for others, EU authorities are keeping France under close watch. Political turmoil prevails under prime minister François Bayrou, following the collapse of the previous government at the end of 2024. Despite reaching an agreement on the 2025 budget, doubts remain on whether the country will be able to follow through with a wide range of policy ambitions in a timely manner.

Poland's energy supply still heavily depends on fossil fuels, with coal the biggest and most visible burden for its climate footprint. The eastern European political heavyweight plans to gradually phase it out, replacing it with a mix of renewables and nuclear generation, but – at the same time – remains the only country in the EU without a set end date to complete that task. The energy crisis ensuing Russia's war in Ukraine, however, has prompted Poland to accelerate the move away from coal and to increase renewables capacity. The government following the 2023 elections promised an even more ambitious energy transition, but has yet to deliver the necessary policy and legislation.