Country guides and Dispatches

The European Union positioned itself as a potential early climate champion in 2018 by pledging to reach climate-neutrality by 2050. Since, it has enshrined that goal into law, alongside an interim target to cut net emissions by 55 percent by 2030, and agreed a broad range of new and revised legislation to shift to a more sustainable economy. However, the rise of security, competitiveness and cost-of-living concerns has taken some of the focus away from the transition, and green policies have seen a backlash from companies, member states and politicians.

Germany is nearly on track to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target, with rapid progress in the expansion of renewables making up for the lagging transport and heating sectors. The country's electricity system has never been so clean, partly due to a weak economy resulting in a manufacturing slump. Amidst stiff international competition, the government focuses on supporting industry in the transition to climate neutrality, partly at the expense of climate ambitions.

France aims to become climate neutral by 2050, yet emission reductions lag behind targets. The country has been experiencing budgetary difficulties since the onset of a political crisis in July 2024. The Iran war has added to these difficulties by putting pressure on energy prices. Renewables expansion has slowed, and state-owned electricity utility EDF faces uncertain long-term financing capacity. After years of delays, France published a plan defining its energy strategy up to 2035, which drew criticism for slashing renewables targets in favour of nuclear power. 

Italy has taken significant steps in its green transition over the past decade, but the current government under prime minister Giorgia Meloni is also determined to make the country a "gas hub" in the Mediterranean Sea, illustrating ongoing deep ties to fossil fuels. Researchers and NGOs have criticised the country's draft plan to reach EU 2030 climate targets for being vague about key topics such as phasing out oil, coal and gas, and expanding alternative energy sources like wind or solar power.

Poland is one of the EU's largest economies and the only country in the bloc that still produces over half of its electricity from coal. The fuel's share in the energy mix has dropped significantly in recent years, but change has often lagged behind ambition, contributing to uncertainty and making the energy transition one of Poland's most politically contested issues. 

The coalition of the centre-right HDZ and the right-wing Homeland Movement, which formed the government after the 2024 election, advances plans to expand Croatia's gas infrastructure with an LNG terminal for US imports. A new working group will also investigate how small modular reactors (SMRs) could be added to the country's energy system. These developments underline that the economy ministry is focused on gas and nuclear, rather than the development of renewables. 

Hungary has almost halved its greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, and in recent years greatly increased its solar power capacity. Still, the country to a large extent relies on conventional energy sources, and depends on other countries – mostly Russia – when it comes to oil, natural gas or nuclear fuel supplies. Hungary traditionally has had close political ties with Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and strong co-operation continued under right-wing conservative Viktor Orbán.