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 drops in manufacturing. Amidst stiff international competition, Germany must find ways to support its industry in the transition to climate neutrality.

France aims to become climate neutral by 2050, yet emission reductions lag behind targets. The country's budget troubles continue, together with the dramatic twists and turns of the political crisis that began in July 2024. Renewables expansion has slowed, and state-owned electricity utility EDF faces uncertain long-term financing capacity. A plan intended to define the country's energy strategy up to 2035 is still pending. 

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, one of the major economies of the European Union, is also 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 the transition is happening without up-to-date strategies, creating social and economic risks. Topics like the Green Deal and coal mining have become heavily politicised and, with exceptions, lack consensus among the ruling class. 

The coalition of the centre-right HDZ and the right-wing Homeland Movement (Domovinski pokret), which formed the government after the early election in 2024, continues with plans to expand gas infrastructure related to the LNG terminal that receives gas from the US on the island of Krk. New nuclear ideas have also emerged, with a working group on nuclear energy established whose main goal will be to enable the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs). Gas and nuclear are much more the topic of conversation within the ministry of economy than the development of the renewable sources of energy.