Introduction
In the coming time, Member States will need to develop National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), in collaboration with stakeholders, to show how they plan to meet their 2030 climate and energy commitments. This provides an opportunity for civil society to help shape the key national decisions for the next decade and to ensure that they are aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
This guide to NECPs outlines the EU’s 2030 climate and energy framework, and specifically the EU’s two main climate instruments (the EU’s Emissions Trading System and the Climate Action Regulation). It brings forward ideas for input to the NECPs to maximize the low-carbon potential of Europe’s two main climate instruments, although the effectiveness of these climate legislations also depends on additional measures being adopted at the national level, and included in the NECPs, to enable the transition to carbon-free communities.
This guide also explains what should be covered in the NECPs, the process for establishing NECPs and the opportunities for civil society and local authorities to input to their development. We hope this guide can help empower actors across Europe to engage in the finalisation of NECPs, in order to ensure that these plans are effective tools for the EU’s sustainable transition.