In a report published on Thursday 27 March, the NGOs of the CAN Europe network and the WWF European Policy Office reveal a number of shortcomings in the public consultation processes for the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) revised in 2023 and 2024 by EU Member States.
The document entitled ‘Struggling for a Voice: The Mixed Reality of Public Participation in National Energy and Climate Plans’, points out that 25 of the 27 countries have failed to meet their legal obligations to consult - contrary to both the Climate Governance Regulation and the Aarhus Convention - and have been reprimanded by the European Commission.
According to the NGOs, public consultations were often rushed, late or inaccessible. In 21 countries, the authorities did not even explain how the opinions collected had been incorporated into the final plans. Many online formats were not easily accessible, and the response times were deemed insufficient.
WWF and CAN Europe are therefore calling on the European Commission to strengthen the legal framework, with clearer requirements on timeframes, transparency and the incorporation of contributions.
Read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/g69 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)