ISSN 1977-8449National policies and measures on climate change mitigation in Europe in 2017Technical overview of the ination reported by Member States under the European Unions climate Monitoring Mechanism RegulationEEA Report No 9/2018National policies and measures on climate change mitigation in Europe in 2017Technical overview of the ination reported by Member States under the European Unions climate Monitoring Mechanism RegulationEEA Report No 9/2018Legal noticeThe contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of the European Commission or other institutions of the European Union. Neither the European Environment Agency nor any person or company acting on behalf of the Agency is responsible for the use that may be made of the ination contained in this report. Copyright notice European Environment Agency, 2018Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.More ination on the European Union is available on the Internet http//europa.eu.Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union, 2018ISBN 978-92-9213-968-1ISSN 1977-8449doi10.2800/560932European Environment AgencyKongens Nytorv 61050 Copenhagen KDenmarkTel. 45 33 36 71 00Web eea.europa.euEnquiries eea.europa.eu/enquiriesCover design EEACover photo Tobias Terman Olsen Layout EEA/Rosendahls3ContentsNational policies and measures on climate change mitigation in Europe in 2017ContentsKey messages 5cutive summary 61 Introduction . 102 Recent developments in climate policies and measures at national level 122.1 European Union policies that affect national climate policies and measures.122.2 New national policies and measures 123 Description of policies and measures reported by Member States 153.1 Number of reported policies by Member States .153.2 Sectors targeted by policies and measures .153.3 Reported policy objectives .183.4 Greenhouse gases affected by policies and measures 203.5 Types of instruments used .203.6 Status of implementation .223.7 Main timeframes for implementation 233.8 Implementing entities .244 Reported effects of policies and measures 264.1 Reported achieved ex post emission savings from policies and measures.264.2 Reported expected ex ante emission savings from policies and measures275 Reported contribution of EU policies to expected emission savings 325.1 National policies implemented in response to EU-wide policies 325.2 Emission savings from policies and measures related to EU policies 325.3 Reported contributions of EU climate and energy policies to emission savings in the ETS and ESD sectors.356 Reported costs and benefits of policies and measures 437 Indicators used to monitor progress of policies and measures 448 Quality of reported ination on policies and measures 478.1 Timeliness of 2017 submissions and quality control process .478.2 Quality of reporting on policies and measures in 2017 .47Contents4 National policies and measures on climate change mitigation in Europe in 2017Abbreviations, symbols and units 50References . 51Annex 1 Country-specific ination reported in 2017 under the MMR.52Annex 2 Reporting requirements under the MMR 67A2.1 Regulation 525/2013 on a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and for reporting other ination at national and Union level relevant to climate change67A2.2 Implementing Regulation 749/2014 on structure, at, submission processesand review of ination reported by Member States pursuant to Regulation EU No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council68Annex 3 Links to Member States 2017 reports on policies and measuresunder the MMR.725Key messagesNational policies and measures on climate change mitigation in Europe in 2017Key messages1. In 2017, EU Member States reported ination on more than 1 500 national policies and measures on climate change mitigation.2. Despite important policy developments at international and EU levels, Member States adopted few new policies and measures between 2015 and 2017 to address 2030 climate objectives.3. Member States report, primarily, ination on regulatory and economic instruments, targeting energy efficiency particularly in buildings, renewable energy and vehicle emissions.4. Member States continue to underreport quantitative ination on national policies and measures, such as that on their effects and costs. Ination on achieved greenhouse gas emission savings resulting from existing policies is particularly lacking.5. Of the reported national policies, 74 relate to the implementation of EU policies. 6. Significant emission savings are expected by 2020 through the implementation of EU policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.7. The future governance of the Energy Union could help further improve the reporting and uation of national policies and measures.National policies and measures on climate change mitigation in Europe in 20176cutive summaryDespite important policy developments at international and EU levels, Member States adopted few new policies and measures between 2015 and 2017 to address 2030 climate objectivesThe 2018 edition of the European Environment Agency EEA report National policies and measures on climate mitigation in Europe presents an overview of the ination on 1 513 national policies and measures PaMs on climate change mitigation reported in 2017 by Member States under the European Union EUs climate Monitoring Mechanism Regulation MMR. It also takes stock of the progress made at national level to plan, adopt and implement new policies since the 2015 reporting rcise.The period from 2015 to 2017 was rich with developments in climate policy at international and EU levels, with the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the agreement by EU leaders on a new 2030 framework for climate and energy and the launch of a new strategy for a resilient Energy Union with a forward-looking climate change policy. In 2015 and 2016, the European Commission presented a series of policy proposals to achieve the EUs climate and energy targets and policy objectives for the period 2020-2030. These new EU policies are expected to result in the reinforcement of existing PaMs or in the implementation of additional PaMs at national level.Although Member States overall reported detailed ination on more national PaMs than in 2015, only 20 Member States reported ination on PaMs adopted or implemented after 2015. Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Slovakia and Poland did not report on any policy or measure adopted after 2015.cutive summaryMost reported PaMs began implementation during 2010-2014. This was the period in which a number of key EU climate policies were adopted and implemented, such as the Renewable Energy Directive 2009, the recast Energy Perance of Buildings Directive 2010 and the Energy Efficiency Directive 2012, which resulted in the implementation of new national PaMs.Member States report primarily ination on regulatory and economic instruments targeting energy efficiency and renewable energyIn 2017 each Member State reported between 15 and 115 national PaMs Figure ES.1. Two thirds of the reported policies relate to energy supply and energy use energy consumption 29 , transport 21 and energy supply 15 . Most of these PaMs aim to improve the energy efficiency of buildings 17 and to increase the share of renewable energy 12 . In the transport sector, the measures aim to promote low-carbon fuels and electric vehicles, or to address behavioural change by users. Most Member States also reported PaMs related to other sectors, such as industrial processes e.g. reducing fluorinated greenhouse gases GHGs and waste e.g. reducing landfilling and promoting recycling, as well as agriculture e.g. reducing fertiliser use and cropland management and forestry e.g. promoting afforestation and reforestation.The large majority of these PaMs were reported as regulatory or economic instruments. The two Member States that reported the most PaMs overall, Belgium and France, were also the Member States that reported a broader range of policy instruments. Some countries favour specific instrument types, such as the Netherlands voluntary agreements.cutive summary7National policies and measures on climate change mitigation in Europe in 2017Member States continue to underreport quantitative ination on national policies and measuresThe quality of the ination reported in 2017 improved in terms of completeness, consistency, accuracy and transparency, compared with the reporting cycle in 2015. More Member States reported more ination on their climate change mitigation PaMs. However, quantitative ination on ex post policy uations, costs and benefits, and indicators remains underreported.In 2017, only nine Member States Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Poland reported ination on the emission reductions achieved for a mere 65 PaMs. This is not sufficient for a comprehensive analysis of the impacts of existing national climate policies across the EU and highlights that Member States need to increase their efforts to assess more systematically the effects of their implemented PaMs.Although the reporting of expected ex ante savings in 2017 was more complete than that of ex post savings, and had improved from 2015, it remains insufficient to allow a robust quantitative analysis Figure ES.2. Twenty-six Member States reported quantified ination on expected savings by 2020 from about one third 534 of the total reported PaMs. The contribution of existing policies to projected GHG emission trends for 2020 varies greatly across Member States reported savings from existing policies for 2020 range from 1 to 95 of total projected emissions in the with existing measures scenario, which already accounts for the effects of existing measures 1. Although reported policies are expected to deliver savings well after 2020, Member States less frequently reported emission savings for 2025, 2030 and 2035.In addition, there is still not enough ination on the expected effects of additional PaMs to achieve any meaningful aggregation at EU level.With regard to the costs and benefits of climate PaMs, the reporting of this quantitative ination improved in 2017, compared with 2015, although it remains far insufficient five Member States reported such ination in 2015, whereas 10 did so in 2017.Of national mitigation policies, 74 relate to the implementation of EU policiesMost of the policies were reported to be adopted or implemented in relation to one or several pieces of EU legislation e.g. regulations, decisions or directives, but one quarter of national PaMs 400 were reported to have been implemented without a direct link to an EU policy.Member States PaMs were most commonly linked to large, overarching EU policies such as the Renewable Energy Directive, the Energy Efficiency Directive, the Energy End-use Efficiency and Energy Services Figure ES.1 Main sectors left and instrument types right related to national policies and measures reported in 201749936125614913812699985Energy consumptionTransportEnergy supplyAgricultureLand use changeWasteCross-cuttingIndustrial processesOther68767420718814878785936EconomicRegulatoryInationPlanningFiscalEducationVoluntaryOtherResearchSource EEA, 2017a.1 This means that in the 95 case, without any of these existing policy savings, emissions in 2020 would be almost double what they are currently projected to be.cutive summary8 National policies and measures on climate change mitigation in Europe in 2017Directive, the recast Energy Perance of Buildings Directive and the Emissions Trading Directive. More specific EU policies or those not requiring transposition into national legislation were linked less often. The largest savings by 2020 from national PaMs related to EU policies are expected to come from the implementation of EU legislation supporting renewable energy 21 of the total reported emission savings and energy efficiency 18 of the total reported emission savings. PaMs implemented in response to the Renewable Energy Directive, the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Effort Sharing Decision ESD are reported to affect both Emissions Trading System ETS and ESD emissions. For renewable energy policies, most of these emission savings are clearly expected to occur in the ETS sector.The future governance of the Energy Union could help further improve the reporting and uation of national policies and measuresAs specified in the MMR, Member States should report all relevant PaMs, including instruments that are not specifically intended to reduce GHG emissions but which do have an effect on these. The number of reported PaMs increased by almost 10 , from 1 382 in 2015 EEA, 2015 to 1 513 in this reporting cycle. Although some Member States clearly managed to report more completely on their climate PaMs, a comparison with other data sources, such as the national energy efficiency action plans NEEAPs and national renewable energy action plans NREAPs, indicated that reporting under the MMR could be made more complete and more consistent. This could be achieved by better aligning the reporting on PaMs under different official reporting streams.This is one of the key objectives of the Commissions proposal for a Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union. The Energy Union Framework Strategy sets a new European policy framework for the period after 2020 on five closely related and mutually reinforcing dimensions, effectively tying together renewable energy and climate change policies both covered in the decarbonisation dimension and energy efficiency.To ensure that objectives will be achieved and administrative burden reduced, the proposed Regulation incorporates the provisions of the existing MMR and harmonises them with the provisions of the Paris Agreement and other reporting requirements on energy. In particular, it includes reporting requirements on PaMs, covering each of the five dimensions of the Energy Union, in both integrated national energy and climate plans, as well as in biennial progress reports.Combining PaMs reporting across different dimensions, wherever possible, will increase the completeness and consistency of reported ination on national action and reduce the administrative burden on Member States, while making the PaMs ination currently reported under the MMR and in NREAPs and NEEAPs more consistent and better integrated.Source EEA, 2017a.Figure ES.2 Number of PaMs reported with ex post or ex ante emission savingsTotal PaMs single and group Total PaMs with ex ante estimates Total PaMs with ex post estimates020406080100120140AustriaCyprusGreecePolandMaltaLithuaniaIrelandNetherlandsPortugalSlovakiaBulg