EU climate and energy targets – 2020 targets achieved, but little indication that actions to reach the 2030 targets will be sufficient

Summary:

The EU achieved its 2020 climate and energy targets, but some member states did not contribute as expected to the targets. The Commission did not assess whether the EU had reached its targets as a result of its policies rather than as a result of external factors, such as the 2009 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EU’s 2020 and 2030 greenhouse gas emissions targets do not include emissions embodied in imported goods or emissions from international aviation and shipping. Little data is available on the cost to the EU budget, national budgets and private sector at which the EU achieved its targets. The National Energy and Climate Plans lack data on investment needs and funding sources to assess whether such plans are a sound basis to reach the 2030 targets.

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