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, amending Regulations (EC) No 663/2009 and (EC) No 715/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directives 94/22/EC, 98/70/EC, 2009/31/EC, 2009/73/EC, 2010/31/EU, 2012/27/EU and 2013/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Directives 2009/119/EC and (EU) 2015/652 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Text with EEA relevance.)

CHAPTER 1 General provisions

Article 1

Subject matter and scope

• (a) implement strategies and measures designed to meet the objectives and targets of the Energy Union and the long-term Union greenhouse gas emissions commitments consistent with the Paris Agreement, in particular the Union’s climate-neutrality objective set out in Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council ([^E0001]), and, for the first ten-year period, from 2021 to 2030, in particular the Union’s 2030 targets for energy and climate;

• (b) stimulate cooperation between Member States, including, where appropriate, at regional level, designed to achieve the objectives and targets of the Energy Union;

• (c) ensure the timeliness, transparency, accuracy, consistency, comparability and completeness of reporting by the Union and its Member States to the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement secretariat;

• (d) contribute to greater regulatory certainty as well as contribute to greater investor certainty and help take full advantage of opportunities for economic development, investment stimulation, job creation and social cohesion.

The governance mechanism is based on long-term strategies, integrated national energy and climate plans covering ten-year periods starting from 2021 to 2030, corresponding integrated national energy and climate progress reports by the Member States and integrated monitoring arrangements by the Commission. The governance mechanism ensures effective opportunities for the public to participate in the preparation of those national plans and those long-term strategies. It comprises a structured, transparent, iterative process between the Commission and Member States for the purpose of the finalisation of the integrated national energy and climate plans and their subsequent implementation, including with regard to regional cooperation, and corresponding Commission action.

• (a) energy security;

• (b) internal energy market;

• (c) energy efficiency;

• (d) decarbonisation; and

• (e) research, innovation and competitiveness.

Article 2

Definitions

The following definitions apply:

• (1) ‘policies and measures’ means all instruments which contribute to meeting the objectives of the integrated national energy and climate plans and/or to implement commitments under points (a) and (b) of Article 4(2) of the UNFCCC, which may include those that do not have the limitation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or change in the energy system as a primary objective;

• (2) ‘existing policies and measures’ means implemented policies and measures and adopted policies and measures;

• (3) ‘implemented policies and measures’ means policies and measures for which one or more of the following applies at the date of submission of the integrated national energy and climate plan or of the integrated national energy and climate progress report: directly applicable Union or national law is in force, one or more voluntary agreements have been established, financial resources have been allocated, human resources have been mobilised;

• (4) ‘adopted policies and measures’ means policies and measures for which an official government decision has been made by the date of submission of the integrated national energy and climate plan or of the integrated national energy and climate progress report and there is a clear commitment to proceed with implementation;

• (5) ‘planned policies and measures’ means options that are under discussion and that have a realistic chance of being adopted and implemented after the date of submission of the integrated national energy and climate plan or of the integrated national energy and climate progress report;

• (6) ‘system for policies and measures and projections’ means a system of institutional, legal and procedural arrangements established for reporting policies and measures and projections relating to anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases and to the energy system, inter alia as required by Article 39;

• (7) ‘projections’ means forecasts of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks or developments of the energy system, including at least quantitative estimates for a sequence of six future years ending with 0 or 5, immediately following the reporting year;

• (8) ‘projections without measures’ means projections of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks that exclude the effects of all policies and measures which are planned, adopted or implemented after the year chosen as the starting point for the relevant projection;

• (9) ‘projections with measures’ means projections of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks that encompass the effects, in terms of greenhouse gas emission reductions or developments of the energy system, of policies and measures that have been adopted and implemented;

• (10) ‘projections with additional measures’ means projections of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks or developments of the energy system that encompass the effects, in terms of greenhouse gas emission reductions, of policies and measures which have been adopted and implemented to mitigate climate change or meet energy objectives, as well as policies and measures which are planned for that purpose;

• (11) ‘the Union's 2030 targets for energy and climate’ means the Union-wide binding target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 referred to in Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1119, the Union’s binding target for renewable energy for 2030 set in Article 3(1) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001, the Union-level target for improving energy efficiency in 2030 referred to in Article 4(1) of Directive (EU) 2023/1791 of the European Parliament and of the Council ([^E0002]), and the 15 % electricity interconnection target for 2030 or any subsequent targets in that regard agreed by the European Council or by the European Parliament and by the Council for 2030;

• (12) ‘national inventory system’ means a system of institutional, legal and procedural arrangements established within a Member State for estimating anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases, and for reporting and archiving inventory information;

• (13) ‘indicator’ means a quantitative or qualitative factor or variable that contributes to better understanding progress in implementing;

• (14) ‘key indicators’ mean the indicators for the progress made with regard to the five dimensions of the Energy Union as proposed by the Commission;

• (15) ‘technical corrections’ means adjustments to the national greenhouse gas inventory estimates made in the context of the review carried out pursuant to Article 38 when the submitted inventory data are incomplete or are prepared in a way that is not consistent with relevant international or Union rules or guidelines and that are intended to replace originally submitted estimates;

• (16) ‘quality assurance’ means a planned system of review procedures to ensure that data quality objectives are met and that the best possible estimates and information are reported to support the effectiveness of the quality control programme and to assist Member States;

• (17) ‘quality control’ means a system of routine technical activities to measure and control the quality of the information and estimates compiled with the purpose of ensuring data integrity, correctness and completeness, identifying and addressing errors and omissions, documenting and archiving data and other material used, and recording all quality assurance activities;

• (18) ‘energy efficiency first’ means taking utmost account in energy planning, and in policy and investment decisions, of alternative cost-efficient energy efficiency measures to make energy demand and energy supply more efficient, in particular by means of cost-effective end-use energy savings, demand response initiatives and more efficient conversion, transmission and distribution of energy, whilst still achieving the objectives of those decisions;

• (19) ‘SET-Plan’ means the Strategic Energy Technology Plan as set out in the Commission communication of 15 September 2015, entitled, ‘Towards an Integrated Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan: Accelerating the European Energy System Transformation’;

• (20) ‘early efforts’ means:
• (a) in the context of the assessment of a potential gap between the Union's 2030 target for energy from renewable sources and the collective contributions of Member States, a Member State's achievement of a share of energy from renewable sources above its national binding target for 2020 as set out in Annex I to Directive (EU) 2018/2001 or a Member State's early progress towards its national binding target for 2020;
• (b) in the context of Commission recommendations based on the assessment pursuant to Article 29(1), point (b), with regard to energy from renewable sources, a Member State’s early implementation of its contribution to the Union’s binding target for renewable energy for 2030 set in Article 3(1) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 as measured against its national reference points for renewable energy;

• (21) ‘regional cooperation’ means cooperation between two or more Member States engaged in a partnership covering one or more of the five dimensions of the Energy Union;

• (22) ‘energy from renewable sources’ or ‘renewable energy’ means energy from renewable sources or renewable energy as defined in point (1) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (23) ‘gross final consumption of energy’ means gross final consumption of energy as defined in point (4) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (24) ‘support scheme’ means support scheme as defined in point (5) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (25) ‘repowering’ means repowering as defined in point (10) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (26) ‘renewable energy community’ means renewable energy community as defined in point (16) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (27) ‘district heating’ or ‘district cooling’ means district heating or district cooling as defined in point (19) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (28) ‘waste’ means waste as defined in point (23) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (29) ‘biomass’ means biomass as defined in point (24) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (30) ‘agricultural biomass’ means agricultural biomass as defined in point (25) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (31) ‘forest biomass’ means forest biomass as defined in point (26) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (32) ‘biomass fuels’ means biomass fuels as defined in point (27) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (33) ‘biogas’ means biogas as defined in point (28) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (34) ‘bioliquids’ means bioliquids as defined in point (32) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (35) ‘biofuels’ means biofuels as defined in point (33) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (36) ‘advanced biofuels’ means advanced biofuels as defined in point (34) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (37) ‘recycled carbon fuels’ means recycled carbon fuels as defined in point (35) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (38) ‘starch-rich crops’ means starch-rich crops as defined in point (39) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (39) ‘food and feed crops’ means food and feed crops as defined in point (40) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (40) ‘ligno-cellulosic material’ means ligno-cellulosic material as defined in point (41) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (41) ‘residue’ means residue as defined in point (43) of Article 2 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (42) ‘primary energy consumption’ means primary energy consumption as defined in point (2) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (43) ‘final energy consumption’ means final energy consumption as defined in point (3) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (44) ‘energy efficiency’ means energy efficiency as defined in point (4) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (45) ‘energy savings’ means energy savings as defined in point (5) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (46) ‘energy efficiency improvement’ means energy efficiency improvement as defined in point (6) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (47) ‘energy service’ means energy service as defined in point (7) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (48) ‘total useful floor area’ means total useful floor area as defined in point (10) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (49) ‘energy management system’ means energy management system as defined in point (11) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (50) ‘obligated party’ means obligated party as defined in point (14) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (51) ‘implementing public authority’ means implementing public authority as defined in point (17) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (52) ‘individual action’ means individual action as defined in point (19) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (53) ‘energy distributor’ means energy distributor as defined in point (20) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (54) ‘distribution system operator’ means ‘distribution system operator’ as defined in point (6) of Article 2 of Directive 2009/72/EC and in point (6) of Article 2 of Directive 2009/73/EC;

• (55) ‘retail energy sales company’ means retail energy sales company as defined in point (22) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (56) ‘energy service provider’ means energy service provider as defined in point (24) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (57) ‘energy performance contracting’ means energy performance contracting as defined in point (27) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (58) ‘cogeneration’ means cogeneration as defined in point (30) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (59) ‘building’ means a building as defined in point (1) of Article 2 of Directive 2010/31/EU;

• (60) ‘nearly zero-energy building’ means a nearly zero-energy building as defined in point (2) of Article 2 of Directive 2010/31/EU;

• (61) ‘heat pump’ means heat pump as defined in point (18) of Article 2 of Directive 2010/31/EU;

• (62) ‘fossil fuel’ means non-renewable carbon-based energy sources such as solid fuels, natural gas and oil;

• (63) ‘geographic information system’ means a computer system capable of capturing, storing, analysing, and displaying geographically referenced information;

• (64) ‘geo-spatial application’ means an electronic application form that includes an IT application based on a geographic information system that allows beneficiaries to spatially declare the agricultural parcels of the holding and non-agricultural areas claimed for payment.

CHAPTER 2 Integrated national energy and climate plans

Article 3

Integrated national energy and climate plans

• (a) an overview of the process followed for establishing the integrated national energy and climate plan consisting of an executive summary, a description of the public consultation and involvement of stakeholders and their results, and of regional cooperation with other Member States in preparing the plan, as established in Articles 10, 11 and 12 and in point 1 of Section A of Part I of Annex I;

• (b) a description of national objectives, targets and contributions relating to the dimensions of the Energy Union, as set out in Article 4 and Annex I;

• (c) a description of the planned policies and measures in relation to the corresponding objectives, targets and contributions set out under point (b) as well as a general overview of the investment needed to meet the corresponding objectives, targets and contributions;

• (d) a description of the current situation of the five dimensions of the Energy Union, including with regard to the energy system and greenhouse gas emissions and removals as well as projections with regard to the objectives referred to in point (b) with already existing policies and measures;

• (e) where applicable, a description of the regulatory and non-regulatory barriers and hurdles to delivering the objectives, targets or contributions related to renewable energy and energy efficiency;

• (f) an assessment of the impacts of the planned policies and measures to meet the objectives referred to in point (b) of this paragraph, including their consistency with the Union’s climate-neutrality objective set out in Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1119, the long-term greenhouse gas emission reduction objectives under the Paris Agreement and the long-term strategies as referred to in Article 15 of this Regulation;

• (g) a general assessment of the impacts of the planned policies and measures on competitiveness linked to the five dimensions of the Energy Union;

• (h) an annex, drawn up in accordance with the requirements and structure laid down in Annex III to this Regulation, setting out the Member State's methodologies and policy measures for achieving the energy savings requirement in accordance with Article 7 of Directive 2012/27/EU and Annex V thereto.

• (a) limit administrative complexity and costs for all relevant stakeholders;

• (b) take into account the interlinkages between the five dimensions of the Energy Union, in particular the energy efficiency first principle;

• (c) use robust and consistent data and assumptions across the five dimensions where relevant;

• (d) assess the number of households in energy poverty taking into account the necessary domestic energy services needed to guarantee basic standards of living in the relevant national context, existing social policy and other relevant policies, as well as indicative Commission guidance on relevant indicators for energy poverty. In the event that a Member State finds, pursuant to point (d) of the first subparagraph, that it has a significant number of households in energy poverty, on the basis of its assessment of verifiable data, it shall include in its plan a national indicative objective to reduce energy poverty. The Member States concerned shall outline in their integrated national energy and climate plans, the policies and measures, which address energy poverty, if any, including social policy measures and other relevant national programmes.

Article 4

National objectives, targets and contributions for the five dimensions of the Energy Union

Each Member State shall set out in its integrated national energy and climate plan the following main objectives, targets and contributions, as specified in point 2 of section A of Annex I:

• (a) as regards the dimension ‘Decarbonisation’:
• (1) with respect to greenhouse gas emissions and removals and with a view to contributing to the achievement of the economy wide Union greenhouse gas emission reduction target:
• (i) the Member State's binding national target for greenhouse gas emissions and the annual binding national limits pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2018/842;
• (ii) the Member State’s commitments and national targets for net greenhouse gas removals pursuant to Article 4(1) and (2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/841;
• (iii) where applicable to meet the objectives and targets of the Energy Union and the long-term Union greenhouse gas emissions commitments consistent with the Paris Agreement, other objectives and targets, including sector targets and adaptation goals.
• (2) with respect to renewable energy: With a view to achieving the Union’s binding target for renewable energy for 2030 set in Article 3(1) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001, a contribution to that target in terms of the Member State’s share of energy from renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy in 2030, with an indicative trajectory for that contribution from 2021 onwards. By 2022, the indicative trajectory shall reach a reference point of at least 18 % of the total increase in the share of energy from renewable sources between that Member State’s binding 2020 national target, and its contribution to the 2030 target. By 2025, the indicative trajectory shall reach a reference point of at least 43 % of the total increase in the share of energy from renewable sources between that Member State’s binding 2020 national target and its contribution to the 2030 target. By 2027, the indicative trajectory shall reach a reference point of at least 65 % of the total increase in the share of energy from renewable sources between that Member State’s binding 2020 national target and its contribution to the 2030 target. By 2030, the indicative trajectory shall reach at least the Member State’s planned contribution. If a Member State expects to surpass its binding 2020 national target, its indicative trajectory may start at the level it is projected to achieve. The Member States’ indicative trajectories, taken together, shall add up to the Union reference points in 2022, 2025 and 2027 and to the Union’s binding target for renewable energy for 2030 set in Article 3(1) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001. Separately from its contribution to the Union target and its indicative trajectory for the purposes of this Regulation, a Member State shall be free to indicate higher ambitions for national policy purposes;

• (b) as regards the dimension ‘Energy Efficiency’:
• (1) the indicative national energy efficiency contribution to achieving the Union's energy efficiency targets of at least 32,5 % in 2030 as referred to in Article 1(1) and Article 3(5) of Directive 2012/27/EU, based on either primary or final energy consumption, primary or final energy savings, or energy intensity. Member States shall express their contribution in terms of absolute level of primary energy consumption and final energy consumption in 2020, and in terms of absolute level of primary energy consumption and final energy consumption in 2030, with an indicative trajectory for that contribution from 2021 onwards. They shall explain their underlying methodology and the conversion factors used;
• (2) the cumulative amount of end-use energy savings to be achieved over the period 2021-2030 under point (b) of Article 7(1) on the energy saving obligations pursuant to Directive 2012/27/EU;
• (3) the indicative milestones of the long-term strategy for the renovation of the national stock of residential and non-residential buildings, both public and private, the roadmap with domestically established measurable progress indicators, an evidence-based estimate of expected energy savings and wider benefits, and the contributions to the Union's energy efficiency targets pursuant to Directive 2012/27/EU in accordance with Article 2a of Directive 2010/31/EU;
• (4) the total floor area to be renovated or equivalent annual energy savings to be achieved from 2021 to 2030 under Article 5 of Directive 2012/27/EU on the exemplary role of public bodies' buildings;

• (c) as regards the dimension ‘Energy Security’:
• (1) national objectives with regard to:
• — increasing the diversification of energy sources and supply from third countries, the purpose of which may be to reduce energy import dependency,
• — increasing the flexibility of the national energy system, and
• — addressing constrained or interrupted supply of an energy source, for the purpose of improving the resilience of regional and national energy systems, including a timeframe for when the objectives should be met;

• (d) as regards the dimension ‘Internal Energy Market’:
• (1) the level of electricity interconnectivity that the Member State aims for in 2030 in consideration of the electricity interconnection target for 2030 of at least 15 %, with a strategy with the level from 2021 onwards defined in close cooperation with the Member States affected, taking into account the 2020 interconnection target of 10 % and the indicators of the urgency of action based on price differential in the wholesale market, nominal transmission capacity of interconnectors in relation to peak load and to installed renewable generation capacity as set out in point 2.4.1 of Section A of Part I of Annex I. Each new interconnector shall be subject to a socioeconomic and environmental cost-benefit analysis and implemented only if the potential benefits outweigh the costs;
• (2) key electricity and gas transmission infrastructure projects, and, where relevant, modernisation projects, that are necessary for the achievement of objectives and targets under the five dimensions of the Energy Union;
• (3) national objectives related to other aspects of the internal energy market such as: increasing system flexibility, in particular through policies and measures related to market-based price formation in compliance with applicable law; market integration and coupling, aiming to increase the tradeable capacity of existing interconnectors, smart grids, aggregation, demand response, storage, distributed generation, mechanisms for dispatching, re-dispatching and curtailment and real-time price signals, including a timeframe for when the objectives should be met, and other national objectives related to the internal energy market as set out in point 2.4.3 of Section A of Part 1 of Annex I;

• (e) as regards the dimension ‘Research, Innovation and Competitiveness’:
• (1) national objectives and funding targets for public and, where available, private research and innovation relating to the Energy Union, including, where appropriate, a timeframe for when the objectives should be met; reflecting the priorities of the Energy Union Strategy and, where relevant, of the SET-Plan. In setting out its objectives, targets and contributions, the Member State may build upon existing national strategies or plans that are compatible with Union law;
• (2) where available, national 2050 objectives related to the promotion of clean energy technologies.

Article 5

Member States' contribution setting process in the area of renewable energy

• (a) the measures provided for in Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (b) the measures adopted to reach the energy efficiency target adopted pursuant to Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (c) any other existing measures to promote renewable energy within the Member State and, where relevant, at Union level;

• (d) the binding 2020 national target of energy from renewable sources in its gross final consumption of energy set out in Annex I to Directive (EU) 2018/2001;

• (e) any relevant circumstances affecting renewable energy deployment, such as:
• (i) equitable distribution of deployment across the Union;
• (ii) economic conditions and potential, including GDP per capita;
• (iii) potential for cost-effective renewable energy deployment;
• (iv) geographical, environmental and natural constraints, including those of non-interconnected areas and regions;
• (v) the level of power interconnection between Member States;
• (vi) other relevant circumstances, in particular early efforts.

With regard to point (e) of the first subparagraph, each Member State shall indicate in its integrated national energy and climate plan which relevant circumstances affecting renewable energy deployment it has taken into account.

Article 6

Member States' contribution setting process in the area of energy efficiency

In addition, each Member State shall take into account:

• (a) the measures provided for in Directive 2012/27/EU;

• (b) other measures to promote energy efficiency within the Member State and at Union level.

• (a) remaining cost-effective energy-saving potential;

• (b) evolution and forecast of gross domestic product;

• (c) changes of energy imports and exports;

• (d) changes in the energy mix and the development of carbon capture and storage; and

• (e) early actions.

With regard to the first subparagraph, each Member State shall indicate in its integrated national energy and climate plan which relevant circumstances affecting primary and final energy consumption it has taken into account, if any.

Article 7

National policies and measures for each of the five dimensions of the Energy Union

Member States shall describe, in accordance with Annex I, in their integrated national energy and climate plan, the main existing and planned policies and measures to achieve in particular the objectives set out in the national plan, including, where applicable, measures providing for regional cooperation and appropriate financing at national and regional level, including mobilisation of Union programmes and instruments.

Member States shall provide a general overview of the investment needed to achieve the objectives, targets and contributions set out in the national plan, as well as a general assessment on the sources of that investment.

Article 8

Analytical basis of the integrated national energy and climate plans

• (a) the impacts on the development of the energy system and greenhouse gas emissions and removals for the duration of the plan and for a period of ten years following the latest year covered by the plan, under the planned policies and measures or groups of measures, including a comparison with the projections based on existing policies and measures or groups of measures as referred to in paragraph 1;

• (b) the macroeconomic and, to the extent feasible, the health, environmental, skills and social impact of the planned policies and measures or groups of measures referred to in Article 7 and further specified in Annex I, for the first ten-year period at least until the year 2030, including a comparison with the projections based on existing policies and measures or groups of measures as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article. The methodology used to assess those impacts shall be made public;

• (c) interactions between existing policies and measures or groups of measures and planned policies and measures or groups of measures within a policy dimension and between existing policies and measures or groups of measures and planned policies and measures or groups of measures of different dimensions for the first ten-year period at least until the year 2030. Projections concerning security of supply, infrastructure and market integration shall be linked to robust energy efficiency scenarios;

• (d) the manner in which existing policies and measures and planned policies and measures are to attract the investment necessary for their implementation;

• (e) the manner in which existing policies and measures and planned policies and measures contribute to the achievement of the Union’s climate-neutrality objective set out in Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1119.

Article 9

Draft integrated national energy and climate plans

• (a) the level of ambition of objectives, targets and contributions with a view to collectively achieving the Energy Union objectives and, in particular, the Union's 2030 targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency as well as the level of electricity interconnectivity that the Member State aims for in 2030 as referred to in point (d) of Article 4, taking due account of relevant circumstances affecting the deployment of renewable energy and energy consumption, as indicated by the Member State concerned in the draft integrated national energy and climate plan and the indicators of the urgency of action for interconnectivity established in point 2.4.1 of Section A of Part 1 of Annex I;

• (b) policies and measures relating to Member State- and Union-level objectives and other policies and measures of potential cross-border relevance;

• (c) any additional policies and measures that might be required in the integrated national energy and climate plans;

• (d) interactions between and consistency of existing and planned policies and measures included in the integrated national energy and climate plan within one dimension and among different dimensions of the Energy Union;

• (e) consistency of relevant financing measures, including the relevant share of revenues generated from the auctioning of EU ETS allowances under Directive 2003/87/EC that are used for land use, land-use change and forestry, Union support and the use of Union funds such as instruments of the Common Agricultural Policy, policies and measures, with regard to the achievement of the commitments, targets and budgets of the Member States set in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2018/841.

Article 10

Public consultation

Without prejudice to any other Union law requirements, each Member State shall ensure that the public is given early and effective opportunities to participate in the preparation of the draft integrated national energy and climate plan — as regards the plans for the 2021 to 2030 period, in the preparation of the final plan well before its adoption — as well as of the long-term strategies referred to in Article 15. Each Member State shall attach to the submission of such documents to the Commission a summary of the public's views or provisional views. In so far as Directive 2001/42/EC is applicable, consultations undertaken on the draft in accordance with that Directive shall be deemed to satisfy the obligations to consult the public under this Regulation.

Each Member State shall ensure that the public is informed. Each Member State shall set reasonable timeframes allowing sufficient time for the public to be informed, to participate and express its views.

Each Member State shall limit administrative complexity when implementing this Article.

Article 11

Multilevel climate and energy dialogue

Each Member State shall establish a multilevel climate and energy dialogue pursuant to national rules, in which local authorities, civil society organisations, business community, investors and other relevant stakeholders and the general public are able actively to engage and discuss the achievement of the Union’s climate-neutrality objective set out in Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 and the different scenarios envisaged for energy and climate policies, including for the long term, and review progress, unless it already has a structure which serves the same purpose. Integrated national energy and climate plans may be discussed within the framework of such a dialogue.

Article 12

Regional cooperation

Article 13

Assessment of the integrated national energy and climate plans

On the basis of the integrated national energy and climate plans and their updates as notified pursuant to Articles 3 and 14, the Commission shall assess, in particular, whether:

• (a) the objectives, targets and contributions are sufficient for the collective achievement of the Energy Union objectives and, for the first ten-year period in particular, the targets of the Union's 2030 Climate and Energy Framework;

• (b) the plans comply with requirements of Articles 3 to 12 and Member States have taken due account of the Commission recommendations issued pursuant to Article 34.

Article 14

Update of the integrated national energy and climate plan

CHAPTER 3 Long-term strategies

Article 15

Long-term strategies

• (a) various scenarios for the Union's contribution towards the objectives set out in paragraph 3 inter alia a scenario on achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions within the Union by 2050 and negative emissions thereafter;

• (b) the implications of the scenarios referred to in point (a) on the remaining global and Union carbon budget in order to inform a discussion about cost efficiency, effectiveness and fairness of greenhouse gas emission reduction.

• (a) fulfilling the Union's and the Member States' commitments under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and enhance removals by sinks and to promote increased carbon sequestration;

• (b) fulfilling the objective of the Paris Agreement of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1,5 °C above pre-industrial levels;

• (c) achieving long-term greenhouse gas emission reductions and enhancements of removals by sinks in all sectors in accordance with the Union’s climate-neutrality objective set out in Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1119, in the context of necessary greenhouse gas emission reductions and enhancements of removals by sinks according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to reduce the Union’s greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective manner and enhance removals by sinks in pursuit of the long-term temperature goal in the Paris Agreement so as to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases within the Union and, as appropriate, achieve negative emissions thereafter;

• (d) a highly energy efficient and highly renewables-based energy system within the Union.

• (a) total greenhouse gas emission reductions and enhancements of removals by sinks;

• (b) emission reductions and enhancements of removals in individual sectors, including electricity, industry, transport, the heating and cooling and buildings sector (residential and tertiary), agriculture, waste and land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF);

• (c) expected progress on transition to a low greenhouse gas emission economy, including greenhouse gas intensity, CO2 intensity of gross domestic product, related estimates of long-term investment, and strategies for related research, development and innovation;

• (d) to the extent feasible, expected socio-economic effect of the decarbonisation measures, including, inter alia, aspects related to macro-economic and social development, health risks and benefits and environmental protection;

• (e) links to other national long-term objectives, planning and other policies and measures, and investment.

Article 16

Strategic plan for methane

Given the high global warming potential and relatively short atmospheric lifetime of methane, the Commission shall analyse the implications for implementing policies and measures for the purpose of reducing the short- and middle-term impact of methane emissions on Union greenhouse gas emissions. Taking into account the circular economy objectives as appropriate, the Commission shall consider policy options for rapidly addressing methane emissions and shall put forward a Union strategic plan for methane as an integral part of the Union's long-term strategy referred to in Article 15.

CHAPTER 4 Reporting

Section 1 Biennial progress reports and their follow up

Article 17

Integrated national energy and climate progress reports

• (a) information on the progress accomplished towards reaching the objectives, including progress towards the Union’s climate-neutrality objective set out in Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1119, targets and contributions set out in the integrated national energy and climate plan, and towards financing and implementing the policies and measures necessary to meet them, including a review of actual investment against initial investment assumptions;

• (b) where applicable, information on the progress in establishing the dialogue referred to in Article 11;

• (c) the information referred to in Articles 20 to 25 and, where appropriate, updates on policies and measures, in accordance with those articles;

• (d) information on adaptation in accordance with point (a)(1) of Article 4;

• (e) as far as possible quantification of the impact of the policies and measures in the integrated national energy and climate plan on air quality and on emissions of air pollutants.

The Union and the Member States shall submit biennial reports in accordance with Decision 2/CP.17 of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, and national communications in accordance with Article 12 of the UNFCCC to the UNFCCC Secretariat.

Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 44(6).

Where the Member State concerned decides not to address a recommendation or a substantial part thereof, it shall provide its reasoning.

Article 18

Integrated reporting on greenhouse gas policies and measures and on projections

• (a) their national policies and measures or group of measures as set out in Annex VI; and

• (b) their national projections of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks, organised by gas or group of gases (Hydrofluorocarbons and Perfluorocarbons) listed in Part 2 of Annex V. National projections shall take into consideration any policies and measures adopted at Union level and shall include the information set out in Annex VII.

Article 19

Integrated reporting on national adaptation actions, financial and technology support provided to developing countries and auctioning revenues

Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 44(6).

Article 20

Integrated reporting on renewable energy

Member States shall include in the integrated national energy and climate progress reports information:

• (a) on the implementation of the following trajectories and objectives:
• (1) indicative national trajectory for the overall share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption from 2021 to 2030;
• (2) estimated trajectories for the sectoral share of renewable energy in final energy consumption from 2021 to 2030 in the electricity, heating and cooling and transport sector;
• (3) estimated trajectories per renewable energy technology to achieve the overall and sectoral trajectories for renewable energy from 2021 to 2030, including total expected gross final energy consumption per technology and sector in Mtoe and total planned installed capacity per technology and sector in MW;
• (4) trajectories on bioenergy demand, disaggregated between heat, electricity and transport, and on biomass supply, by feedstock and origin (distinguishing between domestic production and imports). For forest biomass, an assessment of its source and impact on the LULUCF sink;
• (5) where applicable, other national trajectories and objectives, including those that are long-term and sectoral (such as share of electricity produced from biomass without the utilisation of heat, share of renewable energy in district heating, renewable energy use in buildings, renewable energy produced by cities, renewable energy communities and renewables self-consumers), energy recovered from the sludge acquired through the treatment of wastewater;

• (b) on the implementation of the following policies and measures:
• (1) implemented, adopted and planned policies and measures to achieve the national contribution to the 2030 binding Union target for renewable energy as indicated in point (a)(2) of Article 4 of this Regulation, including sector- and technology-specific measures, with a specific review of the implementation of measures laid down in Articles 23 to 28 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;
• (2) where available, specific measures for regional cooperation;
• (3) without prejudice to Articles 107 and 108 TFEU, specific measures on financial support, including Union support and the use of Union funds, for the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources in electricity, heating and cooling, and transport;
• (4) when applicable, the assessment of the support for electricity from renewable sources that Member States are to carry out pursuant to Article 6(4) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;
• (5) specific measures to fulfil the requirements of Articles 15 to 18 of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;
• (6) where applicable, specific measures to assess, make transparent and reduce the need for must-run capacity that can lead to curtailment of energy from renewable sources;
• (7) a summary of the policies and measures under the enabling framework Member States are to put in place pursuant to Article 21(6) and Article 22(5) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 to promote and facilitate the development of renewables self-consumption and renewable energy communities;
• (8) measures promoting the use of energy from biomass, especially for new biomass mobilisation taking into account biomass, including sustainable biomass availability as well as measures for the sustainability of biomass produced and used;
• (9) measures in place to increase the share of renewable energy in the heating and cooling and transport sector;
• (10) policies and measures facilitating the uptake of power purchase agreements;

• (c) as set out in Part 1 of Annex IX.

Article 21

Integrated reporting on energy efficiency

Member States shall include in the integrated national energy and climate progress reports information:

• (a) on the implementation of the following national trajectories, objectives and targets:
• (1) the indicative trajectory for primary and final annual energy consumption from 2021 to 2030 as the national energy savings contribution to achieving the Union-level 2030 target, including the underlying methodology;
• (2) the indicative milestones of the long-term strategy for the renovation of the national stock of residential and non-residential buildings, both public and private, and the contributions to the Union's energy efficiency targets pursuant to Directive 2012/27/EU in accordance with Article 2a of Directive 2010/31/EU;
• (3) where applicable, an update of other national objectives set out in the national plan;

• (b) on the implementation of the following policies and measures:
• (1) implemented, adopted and planned policies, measures and programmes to achieve the indicative national energy efficiency contribution for 2030 as well as other objectives referred to in Article 6, including planned measures and instruments (also of a financial nature) to promote the energy performance of buildings, measures to utilise energy efficiency potentials of gas and electricity infrastructure and other measures to promote energy efficiency;
• (2) where applicable, market-based instruments that incentivise energy efficiency improvements, including but not limited to energy taxes, levies and allowances;
• (3) national energy efficiency obligation scheme and alternative measures pursuant to Article 7a and 7b of Directive 2012/27/EU and in accordance with Annex III to this Regulation;
• (4) long-term renovation strategies in accordance with Article 2a of Directive 2010/31/EU;
• (5) policy and measures to promote energy services in the public sector and measures to remove regulatory and non-regulatory barriers that impede the uptake of energy performance contracting and other energy efficiency service models;
• (6) regional cooperation in the area of energy efficiency, where applicable;
• (7) without prejudice to Articles 107 and 108 TFEU, financing measures, including Union support and the use of Union funds, in the area of energy efficiency at national level, where applicable;

• (c) as set out in Part 2 of Annex IX.

Article 22

Integrated reporting on energy security

Member States shall include in the integrated national energy and climate progress reports information on the implementation of:

• (a) national objectives for the diversification of energy sources and supply;

• (b) where applicable, national objectives with regard to reducing energy import dependency from third countries;

• (c) national objectives for the development of the ability to cope with constrained or interrupted supply of an energy source, including gas and electricity;

• (d) national objectives with regard to increasing the flexibility of the national energy system, in particular by means of deploying domestic energy sources, demand response and energy storage;

• (e) implemented, adopted and planned policies and measures to achieve the objectives referred to in points (a) to (d);

• (f) regional cooperation in implementing the objectives and policies referred to in points (a) to (d);

• (g) without prejudice to Articles 107 and 108 TFEU, financing measures, including Union support and the use of Union funds, in this area at national level, where applicable.

Article 23

Integrated reporting on the internal energy market

• (a) the level of electricity interconnectivity that the Member State aims for in 2030 in consideration of the electricity interconnection target for 2030 of at least 15 % and the indicators set out in point 2.4.1 of Section A of Part I of Annex I, as well as measures for the implementation of the strategy for the achievement of this level, including those relating to the granting of authorisations;

• (b) key electricity and gas transmission infrastructure projects that are necessary for the achievement of objectives and targets under the five dimensions of the Energy Union;

• (c) where applicable, main infrastructure projects envisaged other than Projects of Common Interest, including infrastructure projects involving third countries, and, to the extent feasible, a general assessment of their compatibility with, and contribution to, the aims and targets of the Energy Union;

• (d) national objectives related to other aspects of the internal energy market such as increasing system flexibility, market integration and coupling, aiming to increase the tradeable capacity of existing interconnectors, smart grids, aggregation, demand response, storage, distributed generation, mechanisms for dispatching, re-dispatching and curtailment, real-time price signals;

• (e) where applicable, national objectives and measures related to the non-discriminatory participation of renewable energy, demand response and storage, including via aggregation, in all energy markets;

• (f) where applicable, national objectives and measures with regard to ensuring that consumers participate in the energy system and benefits from self-generation and new technologies, including smart meters;

• (g) measures with regard to ensuring electricity system adequacy;

• (h) implemented, adopted and planned policies and measures to achieve the objectives referred to in points (a) to (g);

• (i) regional cooperation in implementing the objectives and policies referred to in points (a) to (h);

• (j) without prejudice to Articles 107 and 108 TFEU, financing measures at national level, including Union support and the use of Union funds, in the area of the internal energy market, including for the electricity interconnection target, where applicable;

• (k) measures to increase the flexibility of the energy system with regard to renewable energy production, including the roll-out of intraday market coupling and cross-border balancing markets.

Article 24

Integrated Reporting on Energy Poverty

Where the second subparagraph of point (d) of Article 3(3) applies, the Member State concerned shall include in its integrated national energy and climate progress report:

• (a) information on progress towards the national indicative objective to reduce the number of households in energy poverty; and

• (b) quantitative information on the number of households in energy poverty, and, where available, information on policies and measures addressing energy poverty.

The Commission shall share data communicated by Member States pursuant to this Article with the European Energy Poverty Observatory.

Article 25

Integrated reporting on research, innovation and competitiveness