"In the shortest possible time"

Climate plan behind schedule: Gewessler announces speed

The reason for the delay was a dispute within the governing coalition of the ÖVP and the Greens.

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) has indicated that the National Energy and Climate Plan (NEKP) will be completed soon. The climate plan should be submitted to Brussels "in the very near future". Austria should have submitted it as early as June and is therefore already subject to EU infringement proceedings. 

The reason for the delay was a dispute in the governing coalition of the ÖVP and the Greens, which was publicly fought out primarily by Gewessler and European Affairs Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP).

Austria is way behind schedule with its climate plan
As a result, the draft NECP - which should have arrived in Brussels in June 2023 - was only submitted this August. Edtstadler had withdrawn a draft submitted by Gewessler prior to this on the grounds that it had not been agreed with the government. The Climate Minister had a different opinion.

The EU Commission quickly reviewed the Austrian draft. With a view to the final plan, the government in Vienna must explain in more detail how it intends to achieve the planned 48% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 (measured against 2005 emissions), the Commission ruled in October.

EU calls for further explanations
It wanted further explanations on how Austria intends to strengthen its energy security, "in particular by diversifying its energy supply, including by reducing energy imports of Russian fossil fuels and those from other third countries, and by further promoting the reduction of gas demand".

The amount of CO2 that can be stored each year until 2030 should also be set out. As of November, almost half of the EU member states had not yet submitted their final plan.