COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Technical information Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Accelerating the transition to climate neutrality for Europe’s security and prosperity EU Climate Action Progress Report 2022
Date: 2022-10-26
Institutions: Directorate-General for Climate Action, European Commission
Subjects: EU Emissions Trading Scheme, EU Member State, EU environmental policy, adaptation to climate change, environmental cooperation, forestry policy, greenhouse gas, land use, pollution control measures, reduction of gas emissions

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 26.10.2022  SWD(2022) 343 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Technical information Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions  Accelerating the transition to climate neutrality for Europe’s security and prosperity                                  EU Climate Action Progress Report 2022 {COM(2022) 514 final}  
 
 
Contents 

1.  OVERVIEW OF EU CLIMATE TARGETS ........................................................................ 2 

2.  EU’s GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS: TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS ...................... 6 

3.  GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS COVERED BY THE KYOTO PROTOCOL AND 

THE CLIMATE AND ENERGY PACKAGE ...................................................................... 9 

4. SUMMARY OF EU’s RESPONSES TO THE SURGE OF ENERGY PRICES AND THE 

RUSSIAN AGGRESSION TO UKRAINE ........................................................................ 11 

5. COMMISSION’S ASSESSMENT OF NATIONAL LONG-TERM STRATEGIES ......... 12 

6. EU GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BY SECTOR ....................................................... 14 

7. TOTAL GHG EMISSIONS PER MEMBER STATE ......................................................... 16 

8. GREENHOUSE GAS INTENSITY IN THE EU AND ITS MEMBER STATES ............. 17 

9. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS PER CAPITA IN THE EU AND ITS MEMBER 

STATES............................................................................................................................... 18 

10. EU ETS EMISSIONS ........................................................................................................ 19 

11. EMISSIONS COVERED BY THE EFFORT SHARING LEGISLATION ...................... 20 

12. USE OF REVENUES FROM AUCTIONING OF ETS ALLOWANCES ....................... 33 

13. EXAMPLES OF FUNDING OF CLIMATE RELATED PROJECTS ............................. 40 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1.  OVERVIEW OF EU CLIMATE TARGETS 

Table 1: Overview of existing and Commission’s proposed new climate targets (in the “Delivering the European Green Deal” package  - July 2021) 

International commitments 

EU domestic legislation  

The EU’s 
commitment 
under the Kyoto 
Protocol (KP) 

The EU’s commitment 
under the Paris 
Agreement 

2020 Climate and Energy 
Package 

2030 Climate and Energy Framework 

EU ETS 

Effort Sharing 
Decision (ESD) 

EU ETS  

Effort 
Sharing 
Regulation 
(ESR) 

LULUCF 

Target year of 
period 

Second 
commitment period 
(2013-2020) 

Already in force – covers 
the period post 2020 

2013-2020 

2013-2020 

2021-2030 

2021-2030 

2021-2030 

Emission 
reduction 
target 

-20% 

at least -55% net emissions 
in 2030 

-21% in 2020 
compared to 
2005 for ETS 
emissions 

-10% in 2020 
compared to 
2005 for non-ETS 
emissions 

Annual targets 
by MS.  

-43% in 2030 
compared to 2005 
for ETS emissions 

Annual targets 
by MS. In 2030 
-30% 
compared to 
2005 for non-
ETS emissions 

Proposed new 
target: -61% 

Proposed new 
target: -40% 

No-debit  target  based  on  accounting 
rules 
Proposed new targets: 

- 

- 

For 2030 the EU target is -310 MT 
CO2-eq 

For 2035 the EU target is a climate 
land  sector  (combining 
neutral 
from 
emission 
LULUCF 
agriculture non-CO2). 

and 

Overall target: -20% GHG emissions 
reduction vs 1990 

Overall target:  at least -55% net domestic reduction vs 1990  

2 

 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Further 
targets 

- 

targets 

• limiting global warming to 
well 
2°C.;  
below 
• every 5 years to set more 
ambitious 
as 
by 
science; 
required 
on 
• 
report 
implementation/ 
track 
progress  towards  the  long-
term  goal  through  a  robust 
transparency 
and 
accountability system. 
between 
balance 
• 
anthropogenic emissions by 
sources  and  removals  by 
sinks  of  greenhouse  gases 
in  the  second  half  of  this 
century. 



Base year 

1990, but subject to 
flexibility rules. 
1995 or 2000 may 
be used as its base 
year for Nitrogen 
trifluoride (NF3) 

2005 

2005 

2005  

2005 

Subject to accounting rules 

1990 

1990 for overall emission reduction 
target 

1990 for overall emission reduction target 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LULUCF 

Included: 
afforestation, 
reforestation and 
deforestation and 
forest 
management, other 
activities if elected 
(new accounting 
rules)  

Included: Contributes to 
the commitment of 
decreasing emissions by at 
least -55%.  

Excluded from target, but reported 
in inventories. 

Included: Contributes to the commitment of decreasing emissions by at least -
55%.  

In  order  to  ensure  that  sufficient  mitigation  efforts  are  deployed  up  to  2030, 
the  Climate  Law  limits  the  contribution  of  net  removals  to  the  Union  2030 
climate target  to 225 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, and  provides that the 
Union shall aim to achieve a higher volume of its net carbon sink in 2030 

Aviation1 

Domestic aviation 
included. 
International 
aviation not 
attributed.  

Civil aviation included: 
outgoing flights that start in 
the EU (emissions 
calculated on the basis of 
fuels sold in the EU). 

Use 
of 
international 
credits 

Use of KP flexible 
mechanisms subject 
to KP rules 

The EU will not use 
international credits 
(according to its NDC) 

EU ETS: 
 Domestic 
(national) and 
intra-EEA 
international 
aviation 
included.  

Upper limit for 
credit use for 
period 2008-
2020 at a 
maximum of 
50% of the 
reduction 
effort below 
2005 levels.  

ESD: 
 CO2 from 
domestic 
aviation 
excluded 

Annual use of 
carbon credits is 
limited to up to 
3% of each 
Member State's 
ESD emissions in 
2005 

EU ETS: 
Domestic and 
intra-EEA 
international 
aviation and 
departing flights 
to UK and CH 
included. 

ESR: 
CO2 from 
domestic 
aviation 
excluded. 
Aviation 
generally 
excluded. 

No2   

No 

No 

1 May be reviewed in the light of the implementation of ICAO's global measure and the EU’s enhanced target.   
2 A link with the permit system in Switzerland has been ratified. 

4 

 
 
                                                 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Carry-over  of 
units 
from 
preceeding 
periods3 

Subject to KP rules 
including those 
agreed in the Doha 
Amendment 

No 

EU ETS 
allowances can 
be banked into 
subsequent 
ETS trading 
periods since 
the second 
trading period. 

No carry over 
from previous 
period. 

Indefinite validity 
of allowances not 
limited to trading 
periods, no need 
to carry over. 

Gases 
covered 

CO2, CH4, N2O, 
HFCs4, PFCs, SF6, 
NF3 

CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, 
SF6, NF3 

CO2, N2O, PFCs,  

CO2, CH4, N2O, 
HFCs, PFCs, SF6 

CO2, N2O, PFCs,  

Energy, 
IPPU, 
agricult-
ure, 
waste, 
LULUCF 

Energy, 
IPPU, 
agricult-
ure, 
waste, 
LULUCF 

IPCC 
SAR 

IPCC 
AR4 

Sectors 
included 

Global 
Warming 
Potentials 
used 

Energy, IPPU, agriculture, 
waste, LULUCF 

Power & heat 
generation, 
energy-
intensive 
industry 
sectors, 
aviation 

Transport 
(except 
aviation), 
buildings, non-
ETS industry, 
agriculture (non-
CO2) and waste 

Power & heat 
generation, 
energy-intensive 
industry sectors, 
aviation 

IPCC AR5 

IPCC AR4 

IPCC AR5 

No 

No 

CO2, CH4, N2O 

Land use, land use change and forestry 

CO2, CH4, N2O, 
HFCs, PFCs, 
SF6, NF3 

Transport 
(except 
aviation), 
buildings, non-
ETS industry, 
agriculture 
(non- CO2) and 
waste 

3 For the CP2 it refers to carry over from CP1. For the ETS it refers to carry-over from previous trading period under the scheme itself.  
4 HFCs are also covered by the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which entered into force on the 1st of January 2019. 

5 

 
 
                                                 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Applicable  to 
number 
of 
MS 

15 
(additio-
nal  
KP 
targets 
for 
single 
MS) 

EU-27, 
UK and 
Iceland 

EU-27 

EU-275 

EU-276  

5 In addition to the 27 Member States, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are also covered under the EU-ETS. 
6 Within the Agreement on the European Economic Area, Iceland and Norway cooperate with the EU-27 towards achieving the 2030 targets in the LULUCF and Effort Sharing sectors. 

6 

 
 
                                                 
 
2.  EU’s GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS: TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS 

In  2021,  EU  greenhouse  gas  emissions  continued  the  30-years  descending  trend.  EU-27 
domestic  greenhouse  gas  (GHG)  emissions,  including  international  aviation,7  amounted  to 
3525  MtCo2-eq,  below  the  2019  level  of  3735  MtCo2-eq,  despite  the  strong  rebound  in 
emissions following the unprecedented fall in 2020 due to the pandemic (see Figure 1). This 
translates into a reduction in GHG emissions of 28.1% compared to the 1990 base  year (or 
28.7% when international aviation is excluded). Hence, overall GHG emissions remain on a 
downward trend, although more effort is needed to reach the EU’s long-term climate targets. 
The annual average reduction in domestic GHG emissions observed over the last decade (i.e. 
2011-2021) has to more than double in order to achieve the 2030 target of -55% and keep up 
the pace beyond 2030 to reach climate neutrality by 2050.8 

Figure  1:  Total  EU-27  GHG  emissions  (including  international  aviation)  and  removals  1990-2021,  targets, 
model-based projected emissions and removals 2022–20509 

7 All departures of flights from EU airports. 
8  These  figures  assume  a  quite  significant  improvement  of  LULUCF  in  absorbing  the  remaining  emissions, 
therefore clear actions are expected for the sector to revert recent trends.   
9  Notes:  (1)  Historical  GHG  emissions  and  removals  (1990-2021)  are  based  on  European  Environment 
Agency’s  2022  GHG  Inventory.  (2)  Projected  emissions  and  removals  (2022-2050)  are  based  on  the  EU 
Reference  Scenario  2020  (‘reference’;  grey  lines)  and  the  MIX  Policy  Scenario  (orange  lines)  supporting  the 
“Delivering  the  European  Green  Deal”  policy  initiatives.  (3)  GHG  emissions  and  projections  use  global 
warming  potentials  of  the  4th  Assessment  Report  of  the  IPCC  to  convert  non-CO2  emissions  into  CO2-
equivalent  emissions.  (4)  The  2030  target  (EU  Climate  Law)  is  defined  as:  ‘the  net  GHG  emissions,  i.e. 
emissions  after  the  deduction  of  removals,  are  reduced  economy-wide  and  domestically  by  at  least  55% 
compared  to  1990  levels’.  For  comparability,  the  ‘2030  target’  dot  is  represented  at  -55%  of  the  net  GHG 
emissions level in 1990. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
The main driver of emission reductions over the past three decades was a significative decline 
in energy intensity (i.e. the quantity of energy consumed to produce one unit of GDP) and to 
a  lesser  extent  in  emission  intensity  (i.e.  the  amount  of  GHG  emissions  per  unit  of  energy 
production),  with  an  annual  average  decline  over  1990-2020  of  1.3%  and  0.8%, 
respectively.10    However,  emission  intensity  of  power  generation  has  decreased  drastically 
over the last three decades.  In 2020, the EU electricity sector was 54% less GHG intensive 
than in 1990 (an annual average decline of 1.8%).11   

Policies promoting a more efficient energy use in different sectors of the economy, a growing 
deployment of renewable energy supply and the use of less carbon intensive fossil fuels have 
been  playing  a  key  role  in  driving  the  decarbonisation  process.  This  has  allowed  the 
continued  decoupling  between  emissions  and  economic  growth  with  the  GHG  emission 
intensity  of  the  economy,  defined  as  the  ratio  between  emissions  and  GDP,  falling  to  268 
gCO2-eq/EUR in 2020, less than half the 1990 level. 

Table 2: Change in EU’s GHG emissions over 1990-2020: a sectoral perspective. 

10 This decomposition of total CO2 emissions in different factors follows the well-known ‘Kaya Identity’. In this 
energy  demand. 
case,  we  use 
https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-drivers 
11 https://www.eea.europa.eu/ims/greenhouse-gas-emission-intensity-of-1 

indicator  of 

the  primary 

consumption 

energy 

the 

an 

as 

8 

1990-20201990-20102010-20201990-20201990-20102010-20201 - Energy-33.2-11.5-24.5-1.1-0.5-2.21.A.1 - Energy Industries-45.7-12.7-37.8-1.5-0.6-3.4of which:1.A.1.a - Public Electricity and Heat Production-46.8-12.1-39.5-1.5-0.6-3.61.A.2 - Manufacturing Industries and Construction-44.2-33.9-15.6-1.4-1.6-1.4of which:1.A.2.a - Iron and Steel-54.1-38.6-25.3-1.7-1.8-2.31.A.3 - Transport7.221.6-11.80.21.0-1.1of which:1.A.3.b - Road Transportation11.224.4-10.60.41.2-1.01.A.4 - Other Sectors-28.1-8.2-21.7-0.9-0.4-2.01.A.4.a - Commercial/Institutional-31.9-5.0-28.3-1.0-0.2-2.61.A.4.b - Residential-29.2-8.6-22.5-0.9-0.4-2.01.A.4.c - Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing-15.6-12.2-3.8-0.5-0.6-0.32 - Industrial Processes and Product Use-32.1-21.4-13.6-1.0-1.0-1.22.A - Mineral Industry-26.3-17.9-10.2-0.8-0.9-0.92.B - Chemical Industry-67.2-57.8-22.4-2.2-2.8-2.02.C - Metal Industry-52.6-42.7-17.3-1.7-2.0-1.62.D - Non-energy Products from Fuels and Solvent Use-27.6-18.1-11.5-0.9-0.9-1.02.E - Electronics Industry-9.156.3-41.9-0.32.7-3.82.F - Product Uses as Substitutes for ODS---8.2---0.72.G - Other Product Manufacture and Use-29.5-26.6-4.0-1.0-1.3-0.42.H - Other Industrial Process and Product Use-34.07.5-38.6-1.10.4-3.53 - Agriculture-20.8-22.01.5-0.7-1.00.1of which:3.1 - Livestock-22.2-22.0-0.3-0.7-1.00.04 - Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry7.751.2-28.80.22.4-2.65 - Waste management-34.9-20.8-17.8-1.1-1.0-1.6Total emissions (UNFCCC)-31.9-13.8-21.0-1.0-0.7-1.9Total emissions with international aviation (EU 2020)-31.6-12.7-21.6-1.0-0.6-2.0Total net emissions (UNFCCC)-33.8-16.8-20.4-1.1-0.8-1.9Total net emissions with international aviation (EU NDC)-33.3-15.6-21.0-1.1-0.7-1.9% rate of changeannual average % rate of changeEU-27 
 
 
                                                 
In terms of sectors (Table 2), emission reductions in the last three decades were significant in 
the energy industry (e.g. electricity and heat production, -47%), in the manufacturing industry 
and  construction  (e.g.  iron  and  steel  production,  -54%)  and  in  the  industrial  processes  and 
product  use  industries  (e.g.  chemical  industry,  -67%;  metal  industry,  -53%).  Conversely, 
emissions  in  the  transport  sector  have  increased,  especially  in  road  transportation  (+11%) 
although  they  have  been  decreasing  in  the  last  ten  years.12  Emission  reduction  in  the 
agriculture sector (excluding fuel combustion) has somewhat halted at the half-way, showing 
even a moderate increase since 2010.13 Finally, the traditional role of natural sink of CO2 of 
the land use, land use change, and forestry sector (LULUCF), declined at a worrying speed in 
the last decade. 

12 Emissions in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector has also increased, although declining in the last few 
years. 
13 https://www.eea.europa.eu/ims/greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-agriculture 

9 

 
 
                           
 
 
 
 
                                                 
3.   GREENHOUSE  GAS  EMISSIONS  COVERED  BY  THE  KYOTO  PROTOCOL 

AND THE CLIMATE AND ENERGY PACKAGE  

Table 3 and 4 show progress towards the EU’s 2020 targets as defined under the EU Climate 
and  Energy  Package  and  under  the  Kyoto  Protocol.  The  main  differences  between  the  two 
approaches are the sectoral coverage, the geographical scope and the time period comparison. 

In  particular,  emissions  from  international  aviation  are  included  in  the  Climate  and  Energy 
Package but excluded under the Kyoto Protocol. The geographical scope of the commitment 
under  the  Kyoto  protocol  includes  Iceland,  the  UK  and  certain  regions  not  included  in  the 
Climate  and  Energy  Package.  The  Climate  and  Energy  package  is  based  on  a  year-to-year 
comparison (2020 vs. 1990) whereas the Kyoto Protocol compares the average of emissions 
in the period 2013-2020 (second commitment period) with emissions in 1990, the base year.14 

Under the Climate and Energy package, the EU, its Member States and the UK committed 
jointly to achieving a quantified economy-wide greenhouse gas emission reduction target of  
-20%  below  the  1990  level  by  2020.  At  UNFCCC  level,  this  translated  into  ‘the  Cancun 
pledge’. 

The 5th Biennial Report to be submitted by 31 December 2022 to the UNFCCC will be the 
basis for assessing the achievement of the Cancun pledge. The EU National Inventory Report 
(‘NIR’) submitted to the UNFCCC on 27 May 2022 suggests that the EU-27 overachieved its 
reduction  target  under  the  Convention  by  reducing  emissions  by  -32%  between  2020  and 
1990.  This  means  that  the  EU  Member  States  and  the  UK  have  also  met  their  emission 
reduction targets.  

Table 3: Emissions covered by the EU Climate and Energy Package 1990, 2020 and 2020 targets (Mt CO2-eq. 
and % change from base year emissions) 

Climate and energy 
package: 

Base year 
emissions 
(Mt CO2-eq.) 

1990 
emissions 
(Mt CO2-eq.) 

2020 
emissions 
(Mt CO2-eq.) 

2020 
emissions 
(% change from 
base year) 

2020 targets 
(Mt CO2-eq.) 

2020 target 
(% change from 
base year) 

Total GHG Emissions, 
including international 
aviation 
(EU-27, convention scope) 

4 901 

4 901 

3 354 

-32% 

3 920 

-20% 

Under the Kyoto Protocol, the EU, its Member States, the UK and Iceland committed jointly 
to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the second commitment period (2013-2020) by 20% 
on average in comparison to 1990, the emissions’ base year. Under such framework, the EU, 
its  Member  States,  the  UK  and  Iceland  were  assigned  Kyoto  Protocol  units  (Assigned 
Amount Unit, or AAU) for the eight-year second commitment period, based on 80 per cent of 

14 For certain countries and greenhouse gases, the base year may differ, e.g. for Bulgaria it is 1988 instead of 
1990; for NF3 it is 1995 for most Member States. 

10 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
its emissions in the base year. The AAUs reported in Table 4 correspond to million tonnes of 
CO2 equivalent. 

The EU NIR submitted to the UNFCCC on 27 May 2022, once reviewed, will be the basis for 
assessing  whether  the  EU,  its  Member  States,  the  UK  and  Iceland  comply  with  their  joint 
commitment.  The  EU  NIR  suggests  that  the  EU,  its  Member  States,  the  UK  and  Iceland 
overachieved their reduction target in the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol 
by reducing emissions by -28%. 

Table  4:  Emissions  covered  by  the  Kyoto  Protocol,  second  commitment  period  (Mt  CO2-eq.  and  %  change 
from base year emissions) 

Kyoto Protocol: 

Base year 
emissions 
(Mt CO2-eq.) 

2013 - 2020 
emission 
reduction 
target 
(% change from 
base year) 

Assigned 
Amount Units 
in Mt CO2-eq.  
(2013-2020) 

Emissions in 
Mt CO2-eq. 
(2013 - 2020) 

Over (+) / 
Under (-) 
achievement 

2013 - 2020 
emission 
reduction 
(% change from 
base year) 

Total GHG emissions, 
excluding international 
aviation  
(EU-27+IS+UK, KP scope) 

5 876 

-20% 

37 604 

33 699 

3 905 

-28% 

Under the Kyoto Protocol, Member States also need to account for emissions and removals 
from certain activities of land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) by applying the 
accounting  rules  of  the  Kyoto  Protocol.  Table  4  does  not  include  emissions  and  removals 
from LULUCF. For the EU as a whole, the LULUCF sector has been a net accounted sink in 
2013-2020, thereby also contributing to achieving the commitment.  

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  implemented  mitigation  policies  and  measures,  which 
contributed successfully to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These include the EU 
Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), the Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) and a wide range of 
policies  and  measures  addressing  all  sectors  of  the  economy.  As  more  action  is  urgently 
needed,  the  EU  is  enhancing  and  extending  its  climate  change  policies  and  measures  –  to 
deliver on the European Green Deal, the Paris Agreement and to ensure that the EU and its 
Member States achieve their updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target of an 
economy-wide net domestic emission reduction of at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990. 

11 

 
 
 
 
4. SUMMARY OF EU’s RESPONSES TO THE SURGE OF ENERGY PRICES AND 
THE RUSSIAN AGGRESSION TO UKRAINE  

As part of the response to the surge in energy price and the climate of uncertainty created by 
Russia’s  invasion  of  Ukraine,  the  European  Commission  outlined  a  number  of  measures  to 
address undesirable negative impacts of higher energy prices on households and businesses. 

In October 2021, the Commission adopted a first Communication on ‘Tackling rising energy 
price’,15 which included a toolbox that the EU and its Member State could use to address the 
immediate impact of price increases, and further strengthen resilience against future shocks. 
Short-term national measures included emergency income support to households, state aid for 
companies,  and  targeted  tax  reductions.  Medium-term  measures  aimed  at  accelerating  the 
transition toward a decarbonised and resilient energy system.  

In  March  2022,  the  Commission  adopted  a  second  Communication  proposing  collective 
European actions to address the root causes of the problem in the gas market with a view to 
ensuring  security  of  supply  at  reasonable  prices  for  next  winter  and  beyond.16  The 
Communication analysed possible options for Member States interventions in the gas and the 
electricity market and exceptional EU measures in case of full disruption of gas supplies. It 
also included the creation of a Task Force on common gas purchases at EU level, to facilitate 
and  strengthen  the  EU’s  international  outreach  to  suppliers  and  proposed  a  mandatory 
minimum level in EU underground gas storage17 to protect against potential interruptions to 
supply.  This  last  measure  already  reached  political  agreement  between  the  European 
Parliament  and  EU  Member  States  and  already  this  year,  the  Member  States  will  need  to 
reach a minimum 80% gas storage level by 1 November.  

In July 2022, in light of the persisting uncertainty in the energy market and in preparation for 
possible  further  disruptions  of  gas  supply,  the  Commission  adopted  the  Communication 
‘Save gas for a safe winter’, a plan for a voluntary gas demand reduction target of 15% from 
1  August  2022  to  31  March  2023.  To  reach  that  target,  the  plan  outlines  various  measures 
whereby  Member  States  can  encourage  a  decrease  in  gas  demand  and  consumption  by  the 
public sector, by companies, but also by households, where possible. The Commission also 
adopted a proposal for a new Regulation on coordinated demand reduction measures for gas. 
The proposal also gives the Commission the possibility to declare a ‘Union alert’ on security 
of supply. In such a case, the Council can impose a mandatory gas demand reduction on all 
Member States, based on a proposal of the Commission. 

15 COM(2021) 660 final 
16 COM(2022) 138 final 
17 COM/2022/135 final 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
5. COMMISSION’S ASSESSMENT OF NATIONAL LONG-TERM STRATEGIES  

Stable  and  reliable  long-term  strategies  are  essential  to  help  coordinate  a  cost-effective 
move  towards  the  long-term  goal  set  by  the  Paris  Agreement,  as  well  as  to  promote 
awareness and ownership of the transformation needed.  

Since October 2021, three additional Member States have submitted their long-term strategies 
to  the  Commission:  Luxembourg,  which  set  a  legally  binding  climate  neutrality  target  by 
2050,  Malta  and  Cyprus  that  outlined  a  feasible  set  of  trajectories  and  measures  aimed  at 
achieving  target  reductions  in  GHG  emissions.  Overall,  by  October  2022,  23  Member 
States18 have submitted their long-term strategies required by the Governance Regulation.19 
Of  these,  14  Member  States20  clearly  expressed  their  aim  to  achieve  climate  neutrality  or 
carbon  neutrality21  by  2050  or  before.22  Others  aim  to  be  largely  climate  neutral23  or  to 
achieve reductions of 80-95% by 2050.  

Table 5: Summary of the long-term strategies’ main features submitted by the EU Member States 

Two third of the strategies have been supported by quantitative projections based on different 
modelling  scenarios.  The  national  long-term  strategies  also  provide  useful  information  at 
sectoral  level,  which  allow  strengths  and  remaining  challenges  to  be  identified  and 
recognised,  although  coverage  varies  significantly  across  Member  States  or  lack  details  on 
the precise scope, notably the expected role of land use and removals (see  Table 5). In this 
respect, it is worth mentioning that the current land use and forestry EU regulation provides 
that Member State may use the managed forest land flexibility only if their long-term strategy 

18 BE, CZ, DK, DE, EE, EL, ES, FR, HR, IT, CY LV, LT, LU, HU, MT, NL, AT, PT, SI, SK, FI, SE. LT and HU submitted 
an update of their initial strategies in July and September 2021, respectively. 
19 Article 15 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 stating that MS should submit their LTS by January 2020. 
20 AT, DK, ES, FI, FR, HU, IT, LT, LV, LU, PT, SE, SI, SK. 
21 While neutrality means by definition that residual emissions are compensated by removals, not all Member States provided 
the respective share of emission reductions and removals and the level of ambition for actual reductions varies. 
22 FI by 2035 and SE by 2045. 
23 DE - it should be noted, however, that the German long-term strategy, as submitted to the Commission in January 2020, 
was  prepared  in  2016.  According  to  the  Climate  Change  Act,  as  amended  in  July  2021,  Germany  now  aims  at  achieving 
climate neutrality by 2045. 

13 

Long-term strategies' main featuresATBEHRCZDKEEFIFRDEGRHUITCYLVLTLUMTNLPTSKSIESSEClimate neutrality by 2050 or earlierxxxxxxxxxxxxxxModelling projections and scenariosxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxEmission projections by sectorsxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxEmission removals in LULUCFxxxxxxxxxxxxEstimated share of renewablexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxEstimated energy consumptionxxxxxxxxxxxxEstimated investment needsxxxxxxxxxxxxxSocio-economic impacts of transitionxxxxxxxxxxxxAdaptation Policies and MeasuresxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxLegally binding long-term goalxxxxxxxxxxNotes: in the case of DK and SK, emission projections by sector, the estimated share of renewable and energy consumption, end in 2040 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
has  included  ongoing  or  planned  specific  measures  to  ensure  the  conservation  or 
enhancement of forest sinks and reservoirs.24 

The inclusion of the recommended contents25 also varies across Member States, with gaps in 
needs  for  research,  development  and  innovation,  estimated  long-term  investments,  CO2 
intensity of GDP and, to a lesser extent, on the expected contributions of renewable energy, 
energy  efficiency,  and  agriculture-specific  emission  reductions  (see  Table  5).  Some  of  the 
submitted projections appear not to be in line with the stated ambitions. Finally, less than half 
of the long-term objectives have been enshrined into national law. 

Whereas  most  of  the  national  strategies  received  to  date  reflect  the  ambition  to  be  climate 
neutral by 2050, they do not yet allow to conclude that the long-term strategies are adequate 
for the collective achievement of the objectives and  targets of the Energy Union. Providing 
information  on  any  remaining  collective  gap  would  have  required  a  more  complete  and 
detailed set of strategies. This  underlines the importance to  continue developing policies to 
increase and meet  ambition over time. Member  States are therefore encouraged to  consider 
updating and, where possible, to increase the ambition of their national long-term strategies.26 

24 Article 13.2.(a) and 8.1 of the Regulation (EU) 2018/841. 
25 See Annex IV of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999. 
26 For a  more detailed assessment of the long-term  strategies submitted by Member States, please refer to the 
DG  CLIMA  dedicated  website:  https://ec.europa.eu/info/energy-climate-change-environment/implementation-
eu-countries/energy-and-climate-governance-and-reporting/national-long-term-strategies_en 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
6. EU GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BY SECTOR  

Figure 2: EU-27 GHG emissions by sector, historical data (1990-2021) and projections (2022-2030).27  

27  Sources:  EU  greenhouse  gas  inventory  1990-2020.  EU  approximated  greenhouse  gas  inventory  2021  (EEA).  Member 
States projections with ‘existing measures’ reviewed by EEA (2022). 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Figure 3: EU-27 greenhouse gas emissions by sector 2020 (in % of total emissions).28 

The sectors used in Figure 2 and Figure 3 correspond to the following IPCC sectors29:  

- Energy supply: 1A1, 1B and 1C,  
- Energy use in manufacturing industries: 1A2,  
- Industrial processes and product use: 2,  
- Transport (includes domestic aviation) : 1A3,  
- Other energy use: 1A4, 1A5 and 6,  
- Agriculture: 3,  
- Waste: 5,  
- International aviation: 1.D.1.A 

28 EU greenhouse gas inventory 1990-2020. 
29 Source: EEA greenhouse gases - data viewer, European Environment Agency.   

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
 
7. TOTAL GHG EMISSIONS PER MEMBER STATE 

Table 6: Total GHG Emissions 2020, excl. LULUCF, including international aviation (Mt CO2-eq. and % change 
from 1990 and 2005). 

2021  2021/1990  2021/2005 

-28% 

-1% 

-23% 

-45% 

-27% 

47% 

-40% 

-42% 

-67% 

-33% 

-23% 

-38% 

-27% 

-33% 

11% 

-22% 

-58% 

-57% 

-14% 

-16% 

-23% 

-16% 

-2% 

-54% 

-44% 

-16% 

1% 

-33% 

-24% 

-17% 

-23% 

-12% 

-22% 

-8% 

-20% 

-39% 

-32% 

-32% 

-25% 

-23% 

-44% 

-17% 

-15% 

-32% 

-2% 

-9% 

-21% 

-28% 

-22% 

-1% 

-33% 

-22% 

-19% 

-24% 

-34% 

-29% 

EU-27 

Austria 

Belgium 

Bulgaria 

Croatia 

Cyprus 

Czechia 

Denmark 

Estonia 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

Hungary 

Ireland 

Italy 

Latvia 

Lithuania 

Luxembourg 

Malta 

Netherlands 

Poland 

Portugal 

Romania 

Slovakia 

Slovenia 

Spain 

Sweden 

1990 

4901 

79 

149 

99 

32 

6 

2005 

4633 

94 

149 

63 

30 

10 

3525 

78 

115 

55 

23 

9 

200 

150 

120 

73 

40 

72 

553 

1254 

106 

95 

55 

524 

26 

48 

13 

3 

225 

477 

60 

250 

74 

19 

295 

73 

70 

19 

71 

567 

1010 

139 

78 

73 

599 

11 

23 

14 

3 

224 

406 

88 

147 

51 

21 

454 

69 

42 

13 

49 

427 

780 

78 

64 

62 

410 

11 

21 

11 

2 

174 

403 

59 

115 

41 

16 

298 

49 

17 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
8. GREENHOUSE GAS INTENSITY IN THE EU AND ITS MEMBER STATES 

Figure  4: Greenhouse gas emissions intensity (i.e. the ratio between emissions and GDP) in the EU and its 
Member States 1990, 2005 and 2021 (g CO2-eq./ EUR2015).30 

30  Sources:  EU  greenhouse  gas  inventory  1990-2020,  EU  approximated  greenhouse  gas  inventory  2021  (EEA).  GDP  in 
2015-prices, data from Ameco database (European Commission, DG ECFIN) gap-filled by EEA.  

18 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
9. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS PER CAPITA IN THE EU AND ITS MEMBER 
STATES 

Figure 5: Greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the EU and its Member States 1990, 2005 and 2021 (tonnes 
CO2-eq. per capita).31 

31  Sources:  EU  greenhouse  gas  inventory  1990-2019,  EU  approximated  greenhouse  gas  inventory  2020  (EEA).  Average 
population (total) (Eurostat).  

19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
10. EU ETS EMISSIONS 

The  EU  Emissions  Trading  System  (ETS)  is  a  cornerstone  of  the  EU’s  policy  to  tackle 
climate change. It currently covers around 36% of the EU's total GHG emissions, including 
close  to  9500  power  stations  and  manufacturing  plants  (i.e.  stationary  installations)  and 
flights within the European Economic Area (EEA).32 

Table 7: Verified ETS emissions from stationary installations up to 2021 (Mt CO2-eq. and percentage change 
from year X-1). 

Year 

2011 

2012 

2013 

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2019 

2020 

2021* 

Verified total emissions 
from stationary 
installations 
Change from year x-1 
Verified emissions from 
electricity and heat 
generation 
Change from year x-1 

Verified emissions from 
industrial installations 

1 904 

1 867 

1 908 

1 814 

1 803 

1 751 

1 755 

1 683 

1 530 

1 356 

1 335 

-2.0% 

2.2% 

-4.9% 

-0.6% 

-2.9% 

0.2% 

-4.1% 

-9.1% 

-11.4% 

6.6% 

1 261 

1 254 

1 191 

1 100 

1 091 

1 046 

1 036 

964 

822 

696 

707 

-0.5% 

-5.0% 

-7.7% 

-0.8% 

-4.1% 

-1.0% 

-7.0% 

-14.7% 

-15.3% 

8.4% 

643 

613 

717 

714 

712 

705 

719 

719 

708 

659 

631 

Change from year x-1 
4.6% 
*As of 2021, the UK is no longer part of the EU ETS. Verified emissions data for 2021 do not cover the UK, 
only power plants in Northern Ireland. To determine the year-on-year comparison, an adjusted value of 2020 
verified emissions was used, with the scope reduced in the same way. 

17.0% 

-6.9% 

-0.4% 

-0.3% 

-1.0% 

-4.7% 

-1.6% 

2.0% 

0.1% 

Year 

2012 

2013 

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2019 

2020 

2021** 

Verified total emissions 
from aviation 

84 

53.5 

54.8 

57.1 

61.5 

64.4 

67.5 

68.2 

25.2 

27.9 

Change from year x-1 

- 

2.5% 

4.1% 

7.7% 

4.8% 

4.8% 

1% 

-63% 

30% 

**As of 2021, the UK is no longer part of the EU ETS. Verified emissions data for 2021 cover flights within the 
EEA as well as the outgoing flights to Switzerland and to the UK. To determine the year-on-year comparison, 
an adjusted value of 2020 verified emissions was used, with the scope reduced in the same way.  

32 Including outgoing flights from the EEA to Switzerland and to the UK.  

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
11. EMISSIONS COVERED BY THE EFFORT SHARING LEGISLATION  

Emissions  from  sectors  not  included  in  the  current  EU  ETS,  such  as  emissions  from 
buildings, road transport, agriculture, waste, domestic navigation and small industry, account 
for  almost  60%  of  total  domestic  EU  emissions.  These  emissions  are  covered  by  the  EU 
effort sharing legislation that sets national targets. The Effort Sharing Decision33 (ESD) sets 
national emissions targets for 2020 compared to 2005 levels and annual emissions allocations 
(AEAs),  which  are  the  emission  limits  that  Member  States  must  stay  under  for  the  period 
2013-2020. 

In  2021,  Member  States  submitted  projections  in  the  context  of  the  Regulation  (EU) 
2018/1999  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  11 December  2018  on  the 
Governance  of  the  Energy  Union  and  Climate  Action.    In  2022,  three  Member  States 
(Denmark, Ireland, Latvia) and Iceland updated their projections. 

The original data have different metrics: historical and projected emissions, ESD targets and 
2005 base year emissions are expressed in the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of IPCC’s 
4th Assessment Report (AR4), whereas the ESR targets and 2005 base year emissions are in 
GWP  of  the  5th  Assessment  Report.  For  comparability,  the  latter  have  been  approximately 
converted  into  GWP  AR4,  preserving  the  level  of  ambition  as  expressed  in  Commission 
Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/2126 which sets the annual emission allocations (AEAs) 
of  each  Member  State  for  each  year  in  2012-2030  under  the  ESR.  For  these  reasons,  the 
distances to targets for 2030 are provided here for illustrative purposes only. 

Due  to  UK’s  withdrawal  from  the  EU,  and  the  opt-out  from  the  ETS  of  certain  small 
installations in some Member States the aggregated targets (AEAs) for the 27 Member States, 
as  in  Commission  Implementing  Decision  (EU)  2020/2126  (which  result  in  -28.7%  for  the 
EU), do not exactly match the current EU-level effort sharing reduction targets expressed in 
percent (-30%). 

33 Decision No 406/2009/EC. 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Table 8: Member States targets, historical and projected emissions under the effort-sharing legislation and 
distance to targets in percentage change from 2005 base year emissions. ESR base year emissions and targets 
have  been  approximately  converted  into  GWP  AR4  for  comparability.  Positive  values  indicate  projected 
overachievement while negative values indicate projected underachievement. WEM = with existing measures, 
WAM = with additional measures.  

Member State 

Austria 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Belgium 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Bulgaria 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Croatia 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Cyprus 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Czechia 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Denmark 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Estonia 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

ESD 

ESR 

2018 

2019 

2020 

2030  
(projections 
WEM) 

2030  
(projections 
WAM) 

-13% 

-11% 

-3% 

-13% 

-9% 

-4% 

19% 

21% 

-1% 

6% 

-9% 

15% 

-2% 

-1% 

-1% 

3% 

-5% 

8% 

-15% 

-17% 

2% 

-3% 

0% 

-3% 

-18% 

-18% 

0% 

-20% 

-20% 

0% 

18% 

18% 

0% 

-7% 

-7% 

0% 

1% 

1% 

0% 

-8% 

-8% 

0% 

-23% 

-23% 

0% 

-3% 

-3% 

0% 

-14% 

-11% 

-3% 

-14% 

-11% 

-3% 

20% 

18% 

2% 

7% 

-10% 

17% 

-4% 

4% 

-8% 

4% 

-5% 

9% 

-18% 

-20% 

2% 

-2% 

1% 

-4% 

22 

-36% 

-17% 

-19% 

-35% 

-14% 

-20% 

0% 

11% 

-10% 

-7% 

-14% 

7% 

-24% 

-7% 

-17% 

-14% 

-22% 

8% 

-39% 

-37% 

-2% 

-13% 

-12% 

-1% 

-36% 

-27% 

-9% 

-35% 

-38% 

3% 

0% 

6% 

-6% 

-7% 

-19% 

12% 

-24% 

-17% 

-7% 

-14% 

-37% 

23% 

-39% 

-37% 

-2% 

-13% 

-14% 

1% 

 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Finland 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

France 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Germany 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Greece 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Hungary 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Ireland 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Italy 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Latvia 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Lithuania 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Luxembourg 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Malta 

-14% 

-13% 

-1% 

-11% 

-14% 

3% 

-12% 

-10% 

-2% 

-5% 

-29% 

23% 

8% 

-9% 

16% 

-15% 

-3% 

-12% 

-13% 

-18% 

5% 

15% 

7% 

8% 

13% 

11% 

2% 

-15% 

-10% 

-5% 

-18% 

-18% 

0% 

-23% 

-23% 

0% 

-15% 

-15% 

0% 

-32% 

-32% 

0% 

-7% 

-7% 

0% 

-5% 

-5% 

0% 

-25% 

-25% 

0% 

-1% 

-1% 

0% 

9% 

9% 

0% 

-24% 

-24% 

0% 

-15% 

-14% 

-2% 

-13% 

-16% 

3% 

-13% 

-8% 

-5% 

-5% 

-29% 

24% 

10% 

-5% 

15% 

-17% 

-3% 

-15% 

-14% 

-19% 

5% 

16% 

1% 

15% 

16% 

11% 

4% 

-17% 

-8% 

-9% 

23 

-39% 

-31% 

-8% 

-37% 

-31% 

-6% 

-38% 

-29% 

-8% 

-16% 

-27% 

11% 

-7% 

-7% 

1% 

-30% 

-11% 

-19% 

-33% 

-29% 

-3% 

-6% 

-10% 

4% 

-9% 

-11% 

2% 

-40% 

-14% 

-26% 

-39% 

-34% 

-5% 

-37% 

-31% 

-6% 

-38% 

-29% 

-9% 

-16% 

-36% 

20% 

-7% 

-22% 

15% 

-30% 

-30% 

0% 

-33% 

-40% 

7% 

-6% 

-15% 

9% 

-9% 

-23% 

14% 

-40% 

-53% 

13% 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Netherlands 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Poland 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Portugal 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Romania 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Slovakia 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Slovenia 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Spain 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Sweden 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

EU 27 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Iceland 

Target 

17% 

38% 

-21% 

-12% 

-21% 

10% 

7% 

13% 

-6% 

1% 

-15% 

16% 

14% 

3% 

11% 

11% 

-7% 

19% 

5% 

-5% 

10% 

-10% 

-15% 

6% 

-14% 

-27% 

14% 

-8% 

-11% 

3% 

31% 

31% 

0% 

-29% 

-29% 

0% 

9% 

9% 

0% 

-19% 

-19% 

0% 

2% 

2% 

0% 

-17% 

-17% 

0% 

-16% 

-16% 

0% 

-23% 

-23% 

0% 

-32% 

-32% 

0% 

-17% 

-17% 

0% 

17% 

42% 

-25% 

-14% 

-23% 

10% 

8% 

11% 

-3% 

2% 

-13% 

15% 

17% 

0% 

17% 

13% 

-12% 

24% 

6% 

-7% 

13% 

-11% 

-16% 

5% 

-15% 

-26% 

12% 

-8% 

-11% 

3% 

24 

-19% 

50% 

-69% 

-36% 

-31% 

-5% 

-7% 

6% 

-13% 

-17% 

-39% 

22% 

-2% 

5% 

-6% 

-12% 

9% 

-21% 

-14% 

-9% 

-5% 

-26% 

-18% 

-8% 

-40% 

-39% 

-1% 

-29% 

-22% 

-6% 

-19% 

50% 

-69% 

-36% 

-31% 

-5% 

-7% 

-12% 

5% 

-17% 

-42% 

25% 

-2% 

2% 

-4% 

-12% 

1% 

-13% 

-14% 

-25% 

11% 

-26% 

-38% 

12% 

-40% 

-39% 

-1% 

-29% 

-30% 

1% 

-29% 

-29% 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

Norway 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

EU-27 + IS + NO 

Target 

Emissions 

Distance to target (pp) 

-26% 

-3% 

-40% 

-32% 

-8% 

-29% 

-22% 

-7% 

-26% 

-3% 

-40% 

-32% 

-8% 

-29% 

-30% 

1% 

Table  9:  Member  States  approximated  emissions  for  2021  under  the  effort-sharing  legislation.  ESR  annual 
emission  allocations  (AEAs)  and  base-year  emissions  have  been  approximately  converted  into  GWP  AR4  for 
comparability. In the case of Iceland and Norway, due to data availability, 2021 approximated emissions have 
been converted into GWP AR5 to make them directly comparable with the annual emission allocations (AEAs) 
under the ESR, as adapted by Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement. 

Member state 
Austria 
Belgium 
Bulgaria 
Cyprus 
Czechia 
Germany 
Denmark 
Estonia 
Spain 
Finland 
France 
Greece 
Croatia 
Hungary 
Ireland 
Italy 
Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Latvia 
Malta 
Netherlands 
Poland 
Portugal 
Romania 
Sweden 

2021 
Emissions 
(MtCO2-eq) 

2021  
AEAs 
(MtCO2-eq) 

Difference 
(MtCO2-eq) 

As percent 
of the  
base-year 

48.4 
69.5 
25.5 
4.6 
61.8 
405.7 
29.4 
6.1 
194.8 
27.2 
327.5 
42.7 
16.2 
46.1 
45.2 
271.7 
14.6 
8.1 
8.6 
1.3 
92.7 
209.7 
40.5 
82.3 
29.3 

48.7 
70.1 
27.1 
4.0 
60.9 
428.8 
31.7 
6.2 
197.5 
29.0 
334.4 
45.8 
17.5 
49.7 
42.6 
266.6 
16.0 
8.4 
10.7 
2.1 
98.2 
210.4 
42.3 
86.1 
31.2 

25 

0.3 
0.5 
1.6 
-0.6 
-0.9 
23.2 
2.3 
0.1 
2.7 
1.8 
6.9 
3.1 
1.2 
3.6 
-2.5 
-5.0 
1.3 
0.3 
2.0 
0.8 
5.6 
0.7 
1.8 
3.9 
1.9 

1% 
1% 
8% 
-14% 
-1% 
5% 
6% 
1% 
1% 
5% 
2% 
5% 
7% 
8% 
-5% 
-2% 
10% 
3% 
24% 
76% 
4% 
0% 
4% 
5% 
4% 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
Slovenia 
Slovakia 
Iceland 
Norway 
EU-27 

9.9 
20.0 
2.8 
26.6 
2139.2 

11.1 
22.8 
2.9 
25.2 
2199.9 

1.1 
2.8 
0.1 
-1.5 
60.6 

10% 
12% 
2% 
-5% 
2% 

26 

 
 
 
Table 10: Annual emissions allocations, historical emissions and  distance to targets under the Effort  Sharing Decision (Mt. CO2-eq.)  covering the period 2013  - 2020. 
Positive  values  indicate  overachievement,  negative  values  indicate  underachievement.  AEAs  for  the  years  2017-2020  were  revised  in  2017  for  all  Member  States  to 
reflect updates in methodologies for reporting of GHG inventories. This recalculation ensures maintaining the originally intended effort of each Member State (in % of 2005 
emissions). The values of ‘cumulative surplus of AEAs’ are the cumulative annual distances to target and do not take into account cancellations and transfers. 2019 ESD 
emissions are based on the ‘Final Review Reports’ from the 2022 annual ESD review. For compliance in 2019, Germany used the flexibility to carry forward part of the AEAs 
allocated for 2020. As a result, Germany’s AEAs available for compliance in 2020 are below the allocation set by the legislation. 

2005 base 
year 
emissions 

56,8 

80,3 

22,1 

Member State 

Austria 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Belgium 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Bulgaria 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Croatia 

2013 

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2019 

2020 

51,0 

50,6 

0,4 

9,0 

73,8 

74,1 

-0,3 

13,2 

27,7 

25,6 

2,1 

13,3 

49,5 

51,7 

-2,1 

6,9 

72,5 

70,8 

1,7 

14,9 

25,9 

26,5 

-0,6 

12,6 

48,9 

50,3 

-1,4 

5,5 

71,1 

74,3 

-3,2 

11,7 

26,1 

26,3 

-0,2 

12,4 

48,3 

50,2 

-1,9 

3,6 

69,7 

72,0 

-2,4 

9,4 

26,3 

25,8 

0,5 

12,9 

47,8 

46,5 

1,2 

4,8 

68,2 

64,9 

3,3 

12,7 

26,5 

25,7 

0,8 

13,7 

52,6 

50,1 

2,5 

2,5 

78,4 

74,3 

4,1 

4,1 

26,9 

22,2 

4,7 

4,7 

52,1 

48,2 

3,9 

6,4 

76,9 

70,1 

6,8 

10,9 

27,2 

22,9 

4,3 

9,0 

51,5 

49,3 

2,2 

8,7 

75,3 

72,7 

2,6 

13,5 

27,5 

25,4 

2,1 

11,1 

27 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Cyprus 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Czechia 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Denmark 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Estonia 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

17,4 

4,2 

61,7 

40,1 

5,4 

19,6 

15,1 

4,5 

4,5 

5,9 

3,9 

2,0 

2,0 

62,5 

61,5 

1,0 

1,0 

36,8 

33,7 

3,1 

3,1 

6,3 

5,8 

0,5 

19,8 

14,7 

5,1 

9,6 

5,9 

3,9 

2,0 

4,0 

63,2 

57,6 

5,6 

6,6 

35,9 

32,6 

3,3 

6,4 

6,3 

6,1 

0,2 

18,7 

16,7 

2,0 

20,3 

4,2 

4,3 

-0,1 

7,6 

65,2 

62,4 

2,8 

14,0 

34,8 

32,7 

2,1 

12,0 

5,9 

6,2 

-0,3 

18,9 

16,2 

2,7 

22,9 

4,1 

4,2 

0,0 

7,5 

65,9 

60,6 

5,3 

19,2 

33,9 

33,1 

0,7 

12,7 

6,0 

6,1 

-0,2 

19,1 

16,1 

3,0 

26,0 

4,0 

4,4 

-0,3 

7,2 

66,5 

60,5 

6,0 

25,2 

33,0 

32,1 

0,9 

13,6 

6,0 

6,2 

-0,2 

19,3 

16,5 

2,8 

28,8 

4,0 

4,2 

-0,3 

7,0 

67,2 

58,7 

8,6 

33,8 

32,1 

30,8 

1,2 

14,9 

6,0 

5,9 

0,1 

20,2 

16,0 

4,2 

18,2 

5,9 

4,1 

1,8 

7,7 

64,7 

62,8 

1,9 

11,2 

34,1 

33,1 

1,0 

9,9 

6,4 

6,2 

0,2 

20,0 

15,6 

4,4 

14,1 

5,9 

4,1 

1,9 

5,8 

64,0 

61,3 

2,7 

9,3 

35,0 

32,5 

2,5 

8,9 

6,3 

6,1 

0,2 

28 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Finland 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

France 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Germany 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Greece 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Hungary 

AEA 

Emissions 

0,5 

0,8 

1,0 

1,1 

0,9 

0,7 

0,5 

0,6 

33,9 

398,2 

477,8 

62,6 

48 

31,8 

31,6 

0,2 

0,2 

394,1 

366,1 

28,0 

28,0 

472,5 

460,2 

12,3 

12,3 

59,0 

44,2 

14,8 

14,8 

50,4 

38,4 

31,3 

30,1 

1,1 

1,3 

389,5 

353,5 

35,9 

63,9 

465,8 

436,8 

29,0 

41,4 

59,3 

44,4 

14,9 

29,6 

51,5 

38,4 

30,3 

31,4 

-1,0 

1,2 

379,4 

351,9 

27,5 

122,8 

452,4 

454,2 

-1,7 

54,7 

59,9 

44,9 

15,0 

58,8 

53,8 

42,1 

30,8 

29,9 

0,9 

2,2 

384,4 

353,0 

31,4 

95,3 

459,1 

444,1 

15,1 

56,4 

59,6 

45,4 

14,2 

43,8 

52,6 

41,4 

29 

30,2 

30,1 

0,1 

1,3 

358,2 

352,8 

5,4 

128,2 

432,3 

466,9 

-34,5 

20,2 

59,1 

45,4 

13,7 

72,5 

50,1 

43,1 

29,6 

29,9 

-0,3 

1,0 

352,9 

342,2 

10,7 

138,9 

425,2 

434,0 

-8,8 

11,3 

59,4 

44,7 

14,7 

87,3 

51,0 

43,2 

29,1 

29,6 

-0,6 

0,4 

347,7 

336,4 

11,4 

150,3 

418,1 

444,3 

-26,2 

-14,9 

59,7 

44,7 

15,0 

28,5 

28,1 

0,4 

0,8 

342,5 

307,8 

34,7 

185,0 

410,9 

407,4 

3,5 

-11,4 

60,0 

42,9 

17,2 

102,3 

119,4 

51,9 

44,9 

52,8 

43,9 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Ireland 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Italy 

AEA 

47,1 

Emissions 

334,5 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Latvia 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Lithuania 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Luxembourg 

AEA 

8,5 

13,3 

12,0 

12,0 

46,9 

42,2 

4,7 

4,7 

308,2 

273,3 

34,8 

34,8 

9,3 

8,8 

0,5 

0,5 

12,9 

12,4 

0,5 

0,5 

13,1 

25,1 

45,8 

41,7 

4,1 

8,8 

306,2 

265,3 

40,9 

75,7 

9,4 

9,0 

0,3 

0,8 

13,3 

12,9 

0,4 

0,9 

11,2 

36,3 

44,6 

43,0 

1,6 

10,4 

304,2 

273,3 

31,0 

106,7 

9,4 

9,0 

0,4 

1,3 

13,7 

13,3 

0,4 

1,3 

11,7 

47,9 

43,5 

43,8 

-0,3 

10,1 

302,3 

270,7 

31,6 

138,3 

9,5 

9,1 

0,4 

1,7 

14,0 

13,9 

0,1 

1,4 

6,9 

54,9 

40,9 

43,8 

-2,9 

7,1 

298,3 

270,1 

28,1 

166,4 

9,7 

9,2 

0,5 

2,2 

14,1 

14,1 

0,0 

1,4 

7,7 

62,6 

39,8 

45,4 

-5,6 

1,6 

295,8 

278,7 

17,1 

183,5 

9,8 

9,1 

0,7 

2,9 

14,5 

14,3 

0,2 

1,6 

7,0 

69,6 

38,7 

45,6 

-6,9 

-5,3 

293,4 

274,9 

18,5 

202,0 

9,9 

8,7 

1,3 

4,1 

14,9 

14,3 

0,6 

2,1 

8,9 

78,5 

37,7 

44,7 

-7,1 

-12,4 

291,0 

254,0 

37,0 

239,0 

10,0 

8,4 

1,6 

5,7 

15,2 

14,0 

1,2 

3,3 

9,5 

9,3 

9,1 

8,9 

8,7 

8,5 

8,3 

8,1 

30 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Emissions 

10,1 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Malta 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Netherlands 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Poland 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Portugal 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Romania 

1,1 

127,8 

180 

48,6 

9,4 

0,2 

0,2 

1,2 

1,3 

-0,1 

-0,1 

122,9 

108,3 

14,7 

14,7 

193,6 

186,1 

7,5 

7,5 

49,3 

38,6 

10,7 

10,7 

8,9 

0,5 

0,7 

1,2 

1,3 

-0,1 

-0,2 

120,7 

97,9 

22,8 

37,5 

194,9 

181,5 

13,3 

20,9 

49,6 

38,8 

10,8 

21,5 

8,5 

0,4 

1,6 

1,2 

1,3 

-0,2 

-0,5 

116,1 

101,3 

14,8 

69,6 

197,4 

198,7 

-1,3 

29,0 

50,1 

41,6 

8,6 

39,3 

8,6 

0,5 

1,2 

1,2 

1,3 

-0,1 

-0,3 

118,4 

101,1 

17,3 

54,8 

196,1 

186,8 

9,4 

30,2 

49,9 

40,6 

9,2 

30,7 

31 

8,7 

0,0 

1,6 

1,2 

1,4 

-0,3 

-0,8 

114,1 

102,3 

11,7 

81,3 

200,0 

211,5 

-11,5 

17,4 

47,9 

40,2 

7,7 

47,0 

9,1 

-0,5 

1,1 

1,2 

1,4 

-0,2 

-1,0 

111,8 

99,7 

12,1 

93,4 

201,7 

213,0 

-11,3 

6,1 

48,3 

40,6 

7,7 

54,7 

9,2 

-0,9 

0,1 

1,2 

1,4 

-0,3 

-1,2 

109,6 

97,1 

12,5 

105,9 

203,4 

209,1 

-5,6 

0,5 

48,7 

41,5 

7,2 

61,9 

7,7 

0,4 

0,6 

1,2 

1,3 

-0,1 

-1,4 

107,4 

90,2 

17,2 

123,0 

205,2 

205,1 

0,1 

0,5 

49,1 

38,5 

10,5 

72,4 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Slovakia 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Slovenia 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Spain 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

Sweden 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

75,5 

23 

11,8 

236 

43,5 

75,6 

72,7 

2,9 

2,9 

24,0 

21,1 

2,9 

2,9 

12,3 

10,9 

1,4 

1,4 

227,6 

200,3 

27,3 

27,3 

41,7 

35,3 

6,4 

6,4 

77,5 

72,5 

4,9 

7,8 

24,4 

19,8 

4,6 

7,5 

12,4 

10,5 

1,9 

3,3 

225,6 

199,8 

25,9 

53,2 

41,0 

34,5 

6,5 

12,9 

81,1 

73,1 

8,0 

20,5 

25,1 

19,8 

5,3 

17,5 

12,4 

11,2 

1,2 

6,1 

221,8 

198,5 

23,3 

104,1 

39,8 

32,6 

7,2 

26,6 

79,3 

74,6 

4,7 

12,5 

24,7 

20,1 

4,7 

12,2 

12,4 

10,7 

1,7 

4,9 

223,7 

196,2 

27,6 

80,8 

40,4 

33,9 

6,5 

19,4 

32 

84,1 

75,4 

8,7 

29,2 

25,0 

21,2 

3,8 

21,3 

12,2 

10,9 

1,3 

7,4 

218,3 

201,1 

17,2 

121,3 

37,8 

32,5 

5,3 

31,9 

86,0 

77,6 

8,3 

37,5 

25,3 

21,1 

4,3 

25,6 

12,2 

11,0 

1,2 

8,6 

216,3 

203,0 

13,3 

134,5 

37,2 

31,4 

5,8 

37,7 

87,9 

75,2 

12,7 

50,2 

25,6 

20,1 

5,6 

31,2 

12,3 

10,8 

1,5 

10,1 

214,3 

201,9 

12,5 

147,0 

36,7 

31,7 

5,0 

42,7 

89,8 

77,1 

12,7 

62,9 

25,9 

18,9 

7,1 

38,2 

12,3 

9,8 

2,6 

12,7 

212,4 

184,2 

28,2 

175,2 

36,1 

29,4 

6,7 

49,4 

 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
United Kingdom 

AEA 

Emissions 

Distance to target 

Cumulative surplus 
of AEAs 

417,8 

358,7 

339,5 

19,3 

19,3 

354,2 

324,4 

29,8 

49,1 

349,7 

326,0 

23,7 

72,7 

345,2 

333,9 

11,3 

84,0 

360,4 

332,1 

28,4 

112,4 

357,2 

329,9 

27,4 

139,7 

354,1 

329,1 

25,0 

164,7 

350,9 

298,9 

52,0 

216,7 

33 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
12. USE OF REVENUES FROM AUCTIONING OF ETS ALLOWANCES  
The  vast  majority  of  revenue  from  auctioning  ETS  allowances  accrue  to  Member  States,  who 
should spend at least 50% on climate and energy purposes.  

Figure 6: Auctioning revenues and reported usage, 2013-2021 (€ bn), EU-27  

Figure  6  shows  how  the  reported  revenues  have  been  spent  in  2021  and  indicates  that 
renewables  support,  decarbonisation  of  transport  and  other  GHG  reduction,  were  the  areas 
where  most  of  the  revenues  were  spent.  Compared  to  previous  years,  the  increasing  share  of 
“other”  spending  appears  partly  linked  to  new  national  measures  using  ETS  revenues  to 
compensate for rising energy prices and mitigate their social impacts.34  

Auctions of EU ETS emission allowances for both stationary installations and aircraft operators 
have provided the EU-27 countries with revenues listed in the Table 11.35 Member States report 
annually  on  the  use  of  auctioning  revenues  for  climate  change  and  energy  purposes,  under 
Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 525/2013.  It should be noted that annual reporting does not 
necessarily cover how the revenues of that year are spent, but the spending of revenues during 
that year, i.e. it can include revenues from earlier years. Member States only report on spending 
for  the  purposes  of  addressing  climate  change  and  energy,  but  this  does  not  mean  that  the 
amount not covered in the report is necessarily spent for other purposes: it is also possible that 
revenues are spent later, or used to fund many projects/activities, only part of which are linked 
to climate change and energy, or that a certain amount has been set aside for climate and energy 
but not all of it has yet been formally attributed to specific projects. 

34 For instance, between late-2021 and mid-2022 Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany and Estonia announced the direct 
or indirect use of ETS revenues for such purposes.   
35 The table lists annual total revenues of the auctioned allowances on the EEX platform. 

34 

 
 
 
                                                 
In the latter case, and when Member States have reported having a national minimum set aside 
for climate  and  energy, this  has been reflected in  the “% spent  on  climate and  energy” row.36 
Additionally,  multiple  Member  States  do  not  earmark  their  auction  revenues  for  a  specific 
purpose, but instead attribute part or all of their revenues to a broad budget such as the general 
budget, that is funded by more than just auctioning revenues, and can be spent on both climate 
change  and  energy  and  other  purposes.  Often,  in  such  cases  example  projects  funded  by  the 
broad budget are reported, but a direct link to auctioning revenues cannot be made. Such country 
specific contexts are described below. Reported spending can also be higher than the revenues 
of that year, if either it includes spending of previous years’ revenues or if the reported projects 
were co-funded with other funds.37  

Table 11: Member States' revenues from auctioning of ETS allowances (EUR million), amounts spent on climate 
and energy purposes (EUR million) and share of the revenues spent on climate and energy purposes (%),  2013-
2021.38  

Member State 

2013 

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2019 

2020 

2021 

Austria 

53.6 

59.5 

78.6 

55.8 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
Revenues  are  not  earmarked.  National  spending  on  climate  and  energy  is  >100%  of  auctioning  revenues.  In 
several years, climate and energy projects financed from the national budget were reported, even though their 
funding cannot be directly linked to the auctioning revenues. 

>100%  >100% 

>100%  >100% 

>100% 

>100% 

>100% 

>100% 

>100% 

210.4 

311.0 

311.0 

183.8 

184.2 

986.4 

79.4 

79.2 

36.9 

79.8 

59.9 

54.8 

0 

0 

Belgium 

0 

0 

115 

97.1 

144.3 

107.9 

141.6 

381.5 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
The policy is that 100% of auctioning revenues are spent on energy and climate projects. The revenues for the 
years  2013-2020  have  been  divided  over  the  regions  and  the  federal  government  in  shares  determined  by  a 
cooperation agreement. Work on such an agreement for 2021-2030 is still ongoing. Until completed, revenues 
are carried over. The amount spent in 2021 came from both 2020 revenues and anticipated 2021 revenues.   
Bulgaria 

213.7 

533.2 

356.8 

356.1 

133.1 

357.8 

162.6 

76.1 

37.5 

56% 

14% 

92% 

35% 

99% 

46% 

N/A 

N/A 

N/A 

0 

Revenues from 
auctioning 

52.6 

36.4 

121.8 

85.3 

130.4 

368.2 

440.3 

448.6 

832.9 

36 Where relevant, the amount resulting from the “% spent on climate and energy” row that is not covered in the row “Reported 
as spent on climate etc.” has been included in Figure 5 of the Climate Action Progress Report as “Used for climate change and 
energy, (unspecified)”.  
37 For the purposes of Figure 5 of the Climate Action Progress Report and the estimated shares spent on climate and energy, the 
annual shares have been capped at 100% in order to avoid distortion of the figures. 
38 Data in this table is based on the annual reporting by the Member States with some modifications made to ensure consistency 
across  all  Member  States  and  over  the  reporting  period.  In  2020-2022  the  harmonisation,  methodology  and  analysis  were 
conducted  by  SQ  Consult  in  a  study  for  the  European  Commission.  Proposed  modifications  have  been  discussed  with  the 
Member States as part of the quality checks. Notes: “N/A” = Not available, “*” = Member States that do not earmark auction 
revenues, “(*)” = Member States that partially earmark auction revenues. 

35 

 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
                                                 
51.3 

Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
Unspent revenues are carried over to later years, therefore in some years spending is higher than the revenues. 

>100%  >100% 

368.2 

103.5 

138.2 

440.3 

448.6 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

832.9 

94.1 

36.2 

97% 

99% 

85% 

Croatia 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 

Cyprus (*) 

N/A 

N/A 

86.9 

20.3 

27.2 

71.5 

72.7 

72.2 

112.2 

N/A 

N/A 

77.5 

46.1 

18.9 

29 

13.4 

44 

12.3 

N/A 

N/A 

100% 

>100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

1.9 

6.6 

0.7 

0.3 

0.4 

1.4 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
The auctioning revenues go to a fund, which different ministries can use for climate and energy projects. This 
fund  also  receives  money  from  the  general  budget,  so  in  practice  a  higher  amount  than  100%  of  revenues  is 
spent on climate and energy overall. 
Czechia * 

>100% 

>100% 

>100% 

>100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

78.4 

75.3 

26.1 

40.1 

57.5 

57.6 

2.8 

0.3 

6.4 

0.7 

0.8 

26 

118 

55.7 

80.7 

111.5 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
Revenues  are  not  earmarked.  Reported  spending  represents  the  amounts  allocated  for  climate  change  and 
energy projects in the national budget of each year (if this allocation is higher than 100%, it is reported as 100% 
of revenues). 

584.4 

367.3 

111.5 

604.0 

296.5 

199.8 

630.4 

719.4 

199.8 

408.4 

309.7 

100% 

100% 

100% 

73.2 

26.9 

63% 

49% 

48% 

91% 

65% 

43% 

118 

Denmark * 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 

56.1 

48.1 

71.3 

53.7 

71.7 

189.8 

166.1 

166.5 

292.9 

56 

48.1 

71.3 

53.7 

71.7 

189.8 

166.1 

166.5 

292.9 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

Revenues are not earmarked, example projects have been reported up to 100% of revenues each year. 

Estonia (*) 

9 

3.6 

7.4 

140 

23.6 

21.3 

18.1 

39.4 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
50% of the auctioning revenues are  earmarked and directed through the four-year State Budget  Strategy  and 
spent  on  climate  and  energy  projects  and  measures,  which  may  take  multiple  years.  Unspent  revenues  are 
carried  over  to  later  years  and  always  used  for  climate  and  energy  projects.  The  remaining  50%  goes  to  the 
general budget, which, among others, covers climate and energy investment (not included here). 
Finland * 

248.6 

142.8 

142.4 

≥50% 

≥50% 

53.3 

43.6 

15.9 

12.2 

64.5 

38% 

40% 

49% 

50% 

44% 

52% 

45% 

9.5 

30 

Revenues from 

67 

63.5 

93.8 

71.2 

95.3 

251.8 

219.9 

220.6 

409.0 

36 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
auctioning 

2 

31.1 

Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
Revenues are not earmarked. National spending on climate and energy is >100% of auctioning revenues. Only a 
part of actual spending has been reported, in some years covering specific projects, in other years up to 100% of 
revenues, even though this funding cannot be directly linked to the auctioning revenues. 

251.8 

409.0 

219.9 

220.6 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

93.8 

71.2 

10% 

49% 

9.5 

3% 

France (*) 

219.2 

215.3 

234.7 

312.1 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
The auctioning revenues co-fund energy efficiency improvements of low-income housing, up to a ceiling of EUR 
420  million  per  year.  The  remainder  is  not  earmarked  but  goes  to  the  general  budget,  which,  among  others, 
covers climate and energy investments (not included here). 

1469.1 

1469.1 

829.6 

312.1 

313.4 

726.5 

728.1 

234.7 

313.4 

728.1 

215.3 

219.2 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

550 

420 

Germany 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 

791.3 

750 

1110.2 

850.4 

1146.8  2581.7 

3164 

2662.4  5306.2 

790.9 

750 

1110.2 

845.6 

1130.8 

2563 

3147.2  2662.4  5306.2 

100% 

100% 

100% 

98% 

99% 

99% 

99% 

100% 

100% 

100%  of  revenues  is  spent  on  energy  and  climate  projects.  All  revenues  go  to  a  fund  for  climate  and  energy 
projects, which is additionally co-funded from the general budget. 

Greece 
Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 

147.6 

131.1 

195.2 

148.1 

198 

523.5 

509.5 

506.7 

1014.6 

147.6 

131.1 

195.2 

148.1 

198 

523.5 

509.5 

506.7 

1014.6 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

Revenues are earmarked and fully spent on domestic climate change and energy projects. 

Hungary (*) 

56.5 

63.7 

83.3 

34.6 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
50% of the revenues are spent on climate and energy (any revenues not spent are carried over to future years) 
and the remainder goes to the national general budget. Amounts included in the latter can be spent on climate 
change and energy are not covered here. 

225.4 

288.2 

232.9 

226.3 

65.9 

85.2 

68.7 

17.3 

32.8 

18.5 

71.8 

13.1 

50% 

81% 

81% 

50% 

50% 

39% 

29% 

50% 

50% 

228 

74 

Ireland * 
Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 

41.7 

41.7 

36 

36 

53.5 

40.1 

53.6 

142.1 

124.3 

124.5 

149.2 

53.5 

40.1 

53.6 

142.1 

124.3 

124.5 

149.2 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

37 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
While ETS auction revenues are not earmarked for specific purposes, amounts spent are equivalent to 100% of 
these  revenue  (less  ETS  administration  costs  for  the  Environmental  Protection  Agency)  and  are  attributed  to 
emission reduction activities in line with the purposes specified in the ETS Directive. 

Italy (*) 

386 

N/A 

192.8 

366.5 

549.7 

411.2 

237.7 

542.4 

1453.3 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
Italian law guarantees that, 50% of the revenues are used for climate and energy but  only after the year has 
ended, which can cause underreported spending. The remaining 50% was initially  used to compensate for the 
depleted phase 2 of the New Entrants Reserve, and later it was allocated to the general budget, which funds, 
among others, climate and energy projects (not included here). 
Latvia 

1290.5  2520.9 

1260.5 

148.4 

118.1 

383.7 

148.1 

506.6 

1289 

50% 

50% 

70% 

53% 

50% 

44% 

29% 

50% 

50% 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 

10.8 

10.2 

15.3 

11.5 

15.4 

40.7 

42.6 

42.3 

62.4 

0 

0.1 

0.1 

7.4 

3.8 

12.3 

11.4 

5.8 

62.4 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% of revenues go to the EAAI, a national green investment scheme aimed at tackling global climate change. 
Reported spending shows actually disbursed amounts per year, all leftovers are carried over to future years. 

Lithuania 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 

20 

20 

17.3 

28.4 

20.8 

31.5 

80.4 

84 

86.6 

86.2 

17.3 

28.4 

20.8 

31.5 

80.4 

83.7 

86.6 

86.2 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

Revenues  are  put  in  a  Climate  Change  fund  that  is  only  for  climate  action  and  only  funded  by  auctioning 
revenues, and spent on climate and energy projects  

Luxembourg * 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 

5 

2.5 

5.2 

2.9 

6.8 

3.5 

5.1 

2.6 

6.9 

18.3 

17.1 

3.5 

9.2 

17.1 

17 

17 

8.1 

8.1 

50% 

56% 

52% 

51% 

50% 

51% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

Revenues are not earmarked, example projects have been reported up to 100% of revenues each year. 

Malta * 

3.9 

4.5 

6.2 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
All  revenues  go  to  a  fund  for  climate  and  energy  projects,  which  is  additionally  co-funded  from  the  general 
budget. 

>100%  >100% 

>100% 

>100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

15.7 

30.7 

30.7 

15.9 

15.8 

47.2 

4.5 

9.7 

4.9 

9.1 

2.9 

5.7 

6.9 

12 

6 

Netherlands * 

Revenues from 
auctioning 

134.2 

131.1 

187.3 

142.6 

190.7 

504.2 

440.1 

441.4 

894.0 

38 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
134.2 

131.1 

Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
Auctioning  revenues  go  to  the  national  general  budget  which  is  used  to  finance  among  others  climate  and 
energy  projects.  Amounts  spent  are  higher  than  100%  of  revenues,  but  it  is  not  possible  to  link  auctioning 
revenues to specific projects funded. 

>100%  >100% 

>100%  >100% 

>100% 

>100% 

>100% 

>100% 

>100% 

504.2 

187.3 

142.6 

190.7 

440.1 

441.4 

0.0 

Poland* 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 

244 

128.7 

78 

39 

132.8 

136.1 

506 

1211.6  2548.8  3157.6  5593.6 

68.5 

68.1 

290.4 

609.9 

1274.4 

1564 

2768.3 

53% 

50% 

52% 

50% 

57% 

50% 

50% 

50% 

49% 

Revenues are not earmarked, example projects have been reported for around 50% of revenues each year. 

Portugal 

67.1 

75.1 

99.2 

72.8 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
All  revenues  from  auctioning  are  channelled  to  the  Environment  Fund  (alongside  other  revenues)  which  is 
financing  environmental  projects  that  may  or  may  not  be  directly  related  to  climate  objectives.  The  amounts 
reported as spent represent climate change and energy projects paid by the Environmental Fund. 

265.6 

201.2 

513.9 

513.9 

100.3 

257.1 

255.8 

235.3 

251.3 

100% 

95.1 

71.4 

83.7 

72.8 

64.8 

76% 

95% 

98% 

97% 

84% 

97% 

92% 

98% 

Romania (*) 

194 

97.9 

122.7 

195.2 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
50% of revenues is earmarked for climate change and energy purposes and an additional 6% is earmarked for 
GHG reduction projects (and 15% goes to indirect carbon cost compensation   and 29% to the general budget). 
Part of unspent revenues are carried over to later years. 

719.1 

195.2 

483.9 

226.6 

260.8 

749.8 

803.1 

165.9 

100% 

100% 

100% 

91.2 

42.7 

97.9 

22% 

47% 

17% 

74% 

160 

194 

6% 

0% 

0 

Slovakia 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 

61.7 

57.6 

84.5 

65 

87.1 

229.9 

244.7 

242.1 

276.2 

0.1 

15.1 

30 

35.6 

40.9 

55.6 

44.6 

27.4 

50.9 

0% 

26% 

36% 

55% 

47% 

24% 

18% 

11% 

18% 

All  auctioning  revenues  are  earmarked  and  go  to  the  Environmental  Fund,  which  also  receives  money  from 
other sources. The values reported as spent represent the funding of climate change and energy projects known 
at the time of reporting. Part of unspent revenues are carried over to later years. 

Slovenia 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 

17.7 

16.6 

24.4 

18.7 

25.1 

66.3 

65.3 

65.0 

130.1 

4.6 

4.0 

12.6 

25.2 

5.4 

14.2 

40.8 

40.4 

79.9 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

100% 

39 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
100% of the auctioning revenues are used for climate and energy projects. Some projects receive funding later 
than in the year in which the auctioning revenues were generated. About EUR 185 million in already received 
auction revenues will still be spent on climate and energy.  

346.1 

330.1 

369.5 

489.5 

Spain (*) 
Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
Estimated revenues are earmarked for energy and climate project ahead of each year (up to a cap, which was 
EUR  500  million  up  to  2018  and  EUR  1100  million  after).  The  remainder  goes  to  the  general  budget,  part  of 
which  also  funds  climate  projects,  but  are  not  included  here  (2013  spending  includes  phase  3  allowances 
auctioned in 2012). 

1245.2  1240.3  2482.9 

1054.1  1081.5  2035.0 

>100% 

>100% 

788.6 

387.8 

493.6 

390.8 

445.5 

370.2 

346.1 

100% 

1306 

60% 

82% 

90% 

79% 

87% 

85% 

Sweden * 

34.4 

35.7 

52.4 

Revenues from 
auctioning 
Reported as spent on 
climate etc. 
% spent on climate and 
energy 
Revenues are not earmarked, example projects have been reported for at least the minimum required spending 
on energy and climate. 

136.3 

222.2 

222.2 

128.5 

127.9 

100% 

100% 

100% 

76.5 

28.8 

51.5 

38.6 

73.9 

35.7 

52.4 

21.7 

18.9 

56% 

56% 

56% 

58% 

51% 

55% 

65 

40 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
13. EXAMPLES OF FUNDING OF CLIMATE RELATED PROJECTS  

Example 1: Stimulating investment  
The  Swedish  Hydrogen  Breakthrough  Ironmaking  Technology  (HYBRIT)  financed  by  the 
Innovation Fund, aims to  create a fossil-free value chain for iron and steel production using 
fossil-free  electricity  and  hydrogen.  The  HYBRIT  technology  involves  replacing  the  blast 
furnace process, which typically uses coal and coke to remove the oxygen from iron ore, with 
a direct reduction process using green hydrogen. 

Example 2: Stimulating investment  
In the chemical industry, the Kairos@C project has received funding from the ETS Innovation 
Fund.  This  project  aims  to  create  the  first  and  largest  cross-border  Carbon  Capture  and 
Storage (CCS) value chain to capture, liquefy, ship and permanently store CO2 underground 
that would otherwise be emitted. This new technology and infrastructure will be located in the 
port  of  Antwerp  and  is  expected  to  become  the  cornerstone  of  Belgium’s  decarbonisation 
roadmap.  

Example 3: Just transition Fund, from plans to territories 
Thanks to the first Just Transition Fund (JTF) Programme adopted by the Commission on 16 
June 2022, Greece will mobilise a total investment of EUR 1.63 billion to alleviate the impact 
of the climate transition on the local economy and society. Greece has engaged in a complete 
de-lignitisation process by 2028 with a drastic reduction and complete removal of lignite from 
the electricity mix. The Greek programme, which will benefit from grants amounting to EUR 
1.38  billion  from  the  JTF,  includes  three  TJTPs.  These  focus  on  the  phase-out  of  lignite  in 
Western Macedonia and in Megalopolis, and on the closure of fossil-fuel power stations in the 
islands of North Aegean, South Aegean and Crete. 
Just over half of the funds will support entrepreneurship through the financing of existing and 
new  enterprises,  of  business  infrastructure,  and  of  stronger  links  between  companies  and 
research and innovation. Another large part of the funds (20.4% of the total) will strengthen 
human  resources  and  the  skills  of  the  workforce  in  the  affected  areas  (skilling-upskilling-
reskilling) and promote employment. The JTF support will also target energy transition, land 
use adaptation and the circular economy (i.e. energy upgrades, strengthening self-production 
through  energy  communities,  renewable  energy  sources,  e-mobility,  and  energy  storage 
systems). 

Example 4: New European Bauhaus 
The  New  European  Bauhaus  initiative  connects  the  European  Green  Deal  to  our  daily  lives 
and  living  spaces.  It  calls  on  all  Europeans  to  imagine  and  build  together  a  sustainable  and 
inclusive future that is beautiful for our eyes, minds, and souls. By creating bridges between 
different  backgrounds,  cutting  across  disciplines,  and  building  on  participation  at  all  levels, 
the New European Bauhaus inspires a movement to facilitate and steer the transformation of 
our societies along three inseparable values: sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion. 
From  9  to  12  June  2022,  Brussels  hosted  the  first  Festival  of  the  New  European  Bauhaus. 
Designed  around  three  pillars,  Forum,  Fair  and  Fest,  the  Festival  was  built  with  the  NEB 
community to showcase, celebrate, and develop the movement. Next to the rich programme in 
Brussels, the Festival is also spreading throughout Europe, with more than 200 co-created side 
events independently organised by partners. 

41 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Example 5: Sustainable land use activities in the Republic of Congo, in the framework of 
the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI)  
The  Central  African  rainforest  is  the  second  largest  in  the  world,  with  an  area  the  size  of 
Western  Europe.  It  represents  30%  of  the  vegetation  cover  of  the  African  continent.  The 
conservation and sustainable use of the Congo basin forest represents a major component of 
global  climate  action.  In  the  Republic  of  Congo,  the  forest  covers  about  two  thirds  of  the 
national territory and stores the equivalent of 10 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.  
This  project,  funded  under  the  new  Neighbourhood,  Development  and  International 
Cooperation  Instrument  (NDICI-Global  Europe),  aims  to  operationalize  multi-sector, 
inclusive,  concerted,  and  integrated  spatial  planning  for  land  management,  with  a  view  to 
ensure  sustainable  management  of  natural  resources  and  preserve  the  exceptional  natural 
heritage  of  the  Republic  of  the  Congo,  in  accordance  with  reforms  initiated  under  national 
legislation.  Starting  this  year,  the  project  will  specifically  contribute  to  (1)  develop  the 
production  of  deforestation-free  and  sustainable  agricultural  commodities,  (2)  reduce 
deforestation and forest degradation resulting from uncontrolled wood-energy supply to large 
urban centres, and (3) mobilise finance to develop renewable energy sources., e-mobility, and 
energy storage systems). 

Example 6: Horizon Europe Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change 
The  Horizon  Europe  Mission  for  Adaptation  to  Climate  Change  engages  actively  with 
communities  to  meet  their  unique  needs  in  accelerating  adaptation.  A  key  cross-cutting 
element is working with nature and with ecosystems to make cities, regions, coastlines, river 
basins, or forests more resilient.   
The  Mission  also  aims  to  deliver  at  least  75  large-scale  demonstrators  of  systemic 
transformations on the ground. The knowledge and tools developed under the Mission’s aegis 
and  the  insights  from  the  funded  projects  will  be  made  openly  available,  to  support  the 
scaling-up of adaptation solutions beyond the active partners.  
To identify interested parties, the Mission launched a Mission Charter for regional and local 
authorities. Signatories declare their willingness to cooperate, mobilise resources and develop 
activities in their respective region and communities to reach their adaptation goals, and will 
receive targeted support via the Mission Implementation Platform. The first 118 regions and 
local authorities that will sign the Charter were announced on 7 June 2022 during the Mission 
Forum. 

Example 7: Alliance for Zero-Emission Aviation 
To  prepare  for  the  advent  of  hydrogen-powered  and  electric  aircraft  the  Commission  on  24 
June 2022 launched the Alliance for Zero-Emission Aviation and invited actors from  across 
aviation  to  join.  The  European  aeronautical  industry  is  working  on  a  new  generation  of 
aircraft  in  the  commuter,  regional  and  medium-haul  segments  that  will  fly  on  hydrogen  or 
battery-electric  power,  and  these  aircraft  are  expected  to  enter  into  service  in  the  coming 
decade. The Alliance for Zero-Emission Aviation will pin-point what action needs to be taken 
where and by when. It will also help attract the required investments. 

Example 9: TANGO project funded by the Innovation Fund 
Located  in  Catania,  the  3Sun  factory  is  one  of  the  largest  solar  panel  production  plants  in 
Europe. It’s the first of its kind in Europe to mass produce bifacial panels with heterojunction 
technology  (HJT).  Bifacial  panels  can  capture  sunlight  from  their  back  surface  too,  which 
means they are far more efficient than traditional ones because more clean energy is produced 

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without  major  additional  cost.  They  are  also  stronger  and  last  longer,  which  lowers  the 
consumption of raw materials.  
The TANGO project will be carried out by ENEL Green Power, one of the largest operators 
in  the  renewable  energy  sector  in  the  world.  TANGO  aims  to  expand  the  3Sun  factory  and 
turn it into the GigaFactory, the first European industrial-scale manufacturing plant for highly 
innovative  solar  panels.  The  production  capacity  will  reach  3  GW  per  year.  What  does  this 
mean in practice? 

  3  GW  of  panels  can  generate  around  5,5  GWh  of  renewable  electricity  per  year, 

roughly the annual consumption of two million Italian households. 

  The  panels  produced  during  the  project’s  first  ten  years  of  operation  will  avoid  the 
equivalent  of  25  million  tonnes  of  CO2,  amounting  to  more  than  30%  of  all  GHG 
emissions from public electricity and heat production in Italy in 2019. 

Additionally, the future GigaFactory will create around 1000 jobs by 2024. 

Example  10:  LIFE-IP  PAF  Wild  Atlantic  Nature  project  -  Protecting  and  restoring 
Ireland's blanket bog 
The project (2020-2028) aims to address the identified obstacles, gaps and shortcomings that 
currently  prevent  the  full  implementation  of  the  Prioritised  Action  Framework  (PAF)  for 
Natura 2000 on 24 sites with respect to  Ireland’s blanket bogs in the Northern and Western 
Region covering an area of over 200 000 hectares. The overall status of conservation of the 
blanket  bog  has  been  declining  mainly  due  to  inappropriate  agricultural  practices,  peat 
cutting,  forestry  plantations  and  invasive  species.  To  address  this  trend,  this  project  has 
facilitated  the  development  of  a  Results-Based  Agri-environment  Payment  Scheme  in  the 
Northwest  of  Ireland,  involving  c.750  farmers  and  over  40  agricultural  advisors,  to  reward 
high quality peatland habitats and incentivise the improvement of poorer quality habitats. This 
approach forms the basis of the new Cooperation Approach of Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan, 
which will be rolled out to over 300 000 hectares from 2023. 

Example 12: LIFE CLIMARK – Promoting sustainable forest management 
Sustainable forest management is a key tool to maintain and enhance the mitigation capacity 
of  forests.  The  LIFE  CLIMARK  project  (2016-2022),  located  in  Catalonia  (Spain)  and 
replicated  in  Veneto  (Italy),  designed  a  local  market  of  ‘climatic  credits’  to  promote 
multifunctional  forest  management  in  a  rural  abandonment  context.  Climatic  credits  are 
defined by assessing the impact of locally identified forestry practices on climate mitigation, 
water  flow  regulation  and  biodiversity.  CLIMARK  applied  climatic  credits  on  almost  88 
hectares  of  diverse  Mediterranean  forest  typologies  and  developed  tools  to  facilitate  their 
replication in other European regions. 

Example 13: LIFE HEATLAND  – An  innovative pavement to  mitigate the urban heat 
island effect 
LIFE  HEATLAND  (2017-2021)  demonstrated  the  effectiveness  of  an  innovative  cool 
pavement  technology  that  increases  the  resilience  to  climate  change  in  urban  areas  by 
reducing the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The cool pavement was installed in an urban area 
of  Murcia,  reducing  the  ambient  temperature  by  1.5ºC  and  the  surface  temperature  of  the 
pavement  by  7-11ºC.  In  addition,  this  technology  helped  reduce  the  noise  level  and  energy 
consumption for street lighting thanks to its higher reflection properties. In November  2021, 
the Barcelona City Council decided to join this initiative, carrying out an additional test of the 
cool pavement. 

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Example  14:  LIFE  PASTORALP  –  Making  alpine  pasture  agriculture  resilient  to 
climate change 

LIFE PASTORALP (2017-2022) aimed to reduce the vulnerability and increase the resilience 
of  alpine  pasture  agriculture  in  the  areas  of  the  Parc  National  des  Ecrins  in  France  and  the 
Parco  Nazionale  Gran  Paradiso  in  Italy  by  assessing  and  testing  adaptation  measures, 
increasing  capacity  building  and  developing  improved  management  strategies  for  climate 
change  adaptation.  PASTORALP  deployed  platform  tools  to  facilitate  the  adoption  of 
adaptation  strategies  in  the  Western  Alps  and  their  replication  in  other  pastoral  areas, 
including maps of pastoral resources, data on the impact of climate change and monitoring of 
biodiversity.  Moreover,  two  pastoral  areas,  purchased  by  the  Gran  Paradiso  National  Park, 
will  be  used  to  demonstrate  management  strategies  against  climate  change.  Policy 
recommendations could also contribute to the definition of eco-schemes in the future common 
agricultural policy (CAP). 

a 

self-certification  platform,  with 

Example 15: LIFE Retradeables - Recover, Recycle and Re-use of F-gases 
LIFE Retredeables (2020-2023) aims to create an innovative circular economy ecosystem for 
F-gases to reduce industry emissions and increase F-gas compliance and safety. The project is 
for 
developing 
composition/recovery/recycling  and  establishing  a  new  market  for  recycled  F-gases  in 
Europe, where  gas distributors offer transparent  and reliable trades for recovered  F-gases in 
real  time  onsite.  By  fostering  the  use  of  high-quality,  cost-efficient  recycled  F-gases  and 
providing an accurate database of information for regulation compliance, LIFE Retradeables 
offers an easy and secure solution to put recovered F-gases back on to the market. The project 
includes  activities  to  support  EU  companies  to  identify  reclamation  opportunities,  raise 
awareness  and  improve  industry  knowledge  about  the  development  of  effective  climate 
change mitigation. 

reliable  F-gas  declarations 

Example 16: Examples of measures with fulfilled milestones and targets 

  France has put in place investments to support energy-efficiency renovation and major 

rehabilitation of private and social housing. 
 
Italy introduced new legislation to promote biomethane production and consumption. 
  Spain  introduced  a  reform  to  set  up  an  enabling  framework  for  the  integration  of 

renewables into the energy system: networks, storage and infrastructure. 

  Portugal approved a reform supporting the implementation of the Innovation Agenda 
for Agriculture 2030, targeting R&I to  the needs of the  agricultural  sector, food  and 
agro-industry,  and  has  opened  a  first  call  for  tender  on  investments  to  support  the 
decarbonisation of industry. 

  Greece  passed  a  reform  to  set  up  a  framework  for  the  installation  and  operation  of 

charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. 

  Croatia adopted programmes for energy efficiency of buildings and to reduce energy 
poverty,  introduced  an  Energy  Efficiency  Programme  for  decarbonising  the  energy 
sector and adopted the Alternative Fuels for Transport Act. 

  Romania  demonstrated  that  a  first  target  of  1695MW  of  coal/lignite-fired  installed 
electricity production capacity have been decommissioned, as part of the replacement 
of coal in the national energy mix. 

Example 17: Horizon Europe FIREURISK  

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The  Horizon  Europe  FIREURISK  project  (2021-2025)  is  working  on  improving  our 
understanding  of  the  vulnerability  and  resilience  of  European  communities  and  countries 
against the increasing wildfire risk conditions. Such risks comprise human casualties, cultural 
and  economic  losses,  social  disruption,  major  infrastructure  damage,  and  deterioration  of 
natural  capital  and biodiversity. The main objective of  FIREURISK is  therefore to  develop, 
test,  and  disseminate  an  integrated,  science-based  strategy  for  wildfire  risk  management  in 
Europe. 

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