In a report published on Thursday 20 April, CAN Europe, a coalition of climate change NGOs, said that 14 out of 23 of the Member States who were analysed have not yet started a public consultation on the revision of their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP).
"Our country-specific analysis of 23 Member States reveals widespread deficiencies in the application of these public participation rules – less than four months prior to the submission of NECPs”, said the CAN Europe report.
The aim of these plans is to define the key reforms at national level to achieve climate and energy objectives and to mobilise the necessary investments, in particular to respond to the fossil fuel price crisis, as Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson noted at a conference on the future of the Energy Union on Thursday 20 April (see EUROPE 13166/19).
Furthermore, the report indicates that even in respect of those countries who have undertaken a public consultation, the quality of these consultations varies greatly.
Some countries held preliminary consultations, but did not provide draft revised NECPs to respondents. Others focused only on the energy dimension or asked for comments that were based on the previous version of the NECP.
CAN Europe is therefore calling on Member States to organise public consultation processes as a matter of urgency, in accordance with the fundamental principles of public participation.
To see the report: https://aeur.eu/f/6h9 (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)