Governance Regulation

Integrated National Energy and Climate Plans

Timeline for drafting and adoption

Draft NECPs are to be submitted by 30 June 2023 to the EnC Secretariat (EnCS), and subsequently by 1 January 2028 and then every 10 years thereafter.

EnCS shall issue country-specific recommendations no later than 6 months before the deadline for final submission. Upon receiving the country-specific recommendations, the Contracting Parties shall align with the recommendations, or provide and make public its reasons for non-alignment.

By 30 June 2024, and subsequently by 1 January 2029 and then every ten years thereafter, each Contracting Party shall notify the Secretariat of an NECP-final version;

The first NECP shall cover the period 2025-2030, (and the next ones shall cover the subsequent 10- year periods);

NECPs to be prepared on a regular basis

The NECP update shall reflect equal, or increased ambition, for the objectives, targets, and contributions:

A draft update on 1 January 2033, and subsequently every 10 years thereafter, shall be submitted by the Contracting Parties to the Secretariat, or the Contracting Party shall provide the Secretariat with reasons justifying why the plan does not require updating.
A final update on 1 January 2034, and subsequently every 10 years thereafter, shall be submitted by the Contracting Parties to the Secretariat, unless they have provided reasons why the plan does not require updating.

Public consultation and multilevel climate and energy dialogue

Each Contracting Party shall set reasonable timeframes that allow sufficient time for the public to be informed, so they might participate and express their views.

Each Contracting Party shall establish a multilevel climate and energy dialogue pursuant to national rules, in which local authorities, civil society organisations, the business community, investors, other relevant stakeholders, and the general public are able to actively engage and discuss the different scenarios envisaged for energy and climate policies–including in the long-term–and review progress

Regional cooperation

Each Contracting Party shall, well before submitting its draft NECPs to the EnCS, identify opportunities for regional cooperation and consult neighbouring Contracting Parties and EU Member States, including those in the Energy and Climate Committee and regional cooperation fora. If appropriate, other CP or EU MS that expressed an interest could also be consulted. Any consulted parties should be given a reasonable time within which to react.

To facilitate market integration and cost-efficient policies and measures, Contracting Parties shall in the period between the deadline for submission of their draft NECPs and the deadline for submission of their final plans, present the relevant parts of their draft NECPs to the Energy and Climate Committee and relevant regional cooperation fora with a view to their finalisation.

Pre-defined structure of the NECPs

Overview of the drafting process, including executive summary.

Description of national objectives, targets, and contributions related to the dimensions of the Energy Union: decarbonisation, energy efficiency, energy security, integrated energy market, and competitiveness, research, and innovation.

Description of planned policies and measures to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, targets, and contributions, as well as a general overview of the investment needed to meet the corresponding objectives, targets, and contributions (policy section).

Description of the current situation of the five dimensions, and projections for the objectives, targets, and contributions with the existing policies and measures (analytical section).

Impact assessment for the planned polices and measures (analytical section):

Impact assessment of the planned policies and measures (as described in the policy section), including comparisons of projections with existing policies and measures;
Macroeconomic and other impacts of the planned policies and measures, including comparison of the projections with existing policies and measures;
Overview of investment needs;
Impact of planned policies and measures on other states and regional cooperation, including comparison of the projections with existing policies and measures.

Long term strategies

By the time this Regulation comes into force, and subsequently by 1 January 2029 and every 10 years thereafter, each Contracting Party shall prepare and submit to the Secretariat its long-term strategy with a 30 years’ perspective that is consistent with the Energy Community’s climate-neutrality objective. If necessary, the LTS shall be updated every 5 years.

The general framework for LTS shall consist of the following elements:

Overview and process for developing the strategies (legal and policy context, public consultation, etc.);
Total GHG emission reductions and enhancements of removals by sinks;
Renewable energy, including share of RES in the final energy consumption by 2050;
Energy Efficiency, including an estimate of likely energy consumption by 2050;
Sector-specific related content–expected emissions and decarbonisation options in different sectors, including: energy, industry, buildings, heating and cooling, transport, agriculture, waste, land-use, and forestry
Financing;
Assessment of the socio-economic impacts of the decarbonisation measures.

LTS with 30 years´ perspective to be developed regularly, every 10 years

The integrated national energy and climate plans shall be consistent with the long-term strategies.

Those Contracting Parties assisted by the Energy Community Secretariat shall consider policy options for rapidly addressing methane emissions and shall put forward a strategic plan for methane at the Energy Community level.

Reporting

Biennial reporting: Integrated National Energy and Climate progress reports

Integrated NECP progress reports shall be submitted to the EnC Secretariat every two years starting from 15 March 2025. They shall cover the status of implementation in all 5 dimensions, including the progress accomplished towards achieving the objectives, contributions, and targets set-out in the respective NECPs.

Where the Secretariat has issued country-specific recommendations, the Contracting Party concerned shall include in its integrated NECP progress report information on the policies and measures adopted, or intended to be adopted and implemented, to address those recommendations.

Biennial reporting: Integrated reporting on the GHG policies and measures and on projections

The contracting parties shall report to the Secretariat by 15 March 2023 and every two years thereafter, information on their national policies and measures in the area of GHG emissions, as well as their national projections for anthropogenic GHG emissions by sources and removals by sinks.

Information contained in this report shall be part of the Integrated NECP progress reports.

Biennial reporting: Integrated reporting on national adaptation actions, financial and technological support provided to the developing countries, and carbon price revenues

By 15 March 2023, and every two years thereafter, Contracting Parties shall report to the Secretariat information about their national climate change adaptation planning and strategies, outlining their implemented and planned actions to facilitate adaptation to climate change in accordance with the relevant reporting requirements agreed upon under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.

Regular annual and biennal reporting obligations for the Contracting Parties

Annual reporting

By 31 July 2023 and every year thereafter (year X), Contracting Parties shall report to the Energy Community Secretariat information on the use of any revenues generated by the Contracting Party from carbon price mechanisms.

By 30 September 2025 and every year thereafter (year X), Contracting Parties shall report to the Secretariat information on support to developing countries in accordance with the relevant reporting requirements agreed upon under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.

By 15 March 2023, and every year thereafter (year X), Contracting Parties shall report to the Secretariat a summary copy of the stock register showing at least the quantities and nature of the emergency stocks included in the register on the last day of the preceding calendar year.

By 31 July 2025, and every year thereafter (year X), Contracting Parties shall report to the Secretariat their approximated greenhouse gas inventories for the year X-1.

From 2025, Contracting Parties shall determine and report to the Secretariat final greenhouse gas inventory data by 15 March each year (year X), and preliminary data by 15 January each year in-line with timelines under UNFCCC flexibilities. This information shall also be part of the Integrated NECP progress reports.

Reporting platform

The Secretariat shall establish an online platform (Energy Community e-platform) to facilitate communication between the Secretariat and Contracting Parties, to promote cooperation among Contracting Parties, and to facilitate public access to information.

The platform shall be operational by 1 January 2023.

Monitoring

Monitoring by the Secretariat: aggregate assessment of progress and policy response

By 31 October 2025 and every two years thereafter, the Secretariat shall assess the progress made by each Contracting Party, as well as the progress made in the Energy Community as a whole, on the basis of the integrated national energy and climate progress reports, other information reported under this Regulation, the indicators, and the statistics and data available.

Based on the assessment of progress, as well as the draft NECPs and their updates, the Secretariat shall issue country-specific recommendations to ensure the achievement of the Energy Union objectives, especially when:

There are inconsistencies with the over-arching objective of the Energy Union;
There is lack of ambition in the NECP, so that the national objectives, contributions, and targets are insufficient for achieving the objectives and targets set at the Community level;
There is insufficient progress made by the Contracting Party towards meeting its objectives, contributions, and targets as defined in the NECPs.

Secretariat to issue country-specific recommendation to Contracting Parties

The Contracting Party shall take due account of the recommendations in the spirit of solidarity, and shall set-out in its Integrated national energy and climate progress reports how it has taken due account of the recommendations. If the Contracting Party decides not to address a recommendation, that Contracting Party shall provide its reasons for not doing so.

If relevant, the assessment and the recommendations shall be part of the Annual Implementation Report issued by the Secretariat no later than 31 October every year.