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Commission decides to refer POLAND to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to submit its national long-term climate strategy
Today, the European Commission decided to refer Poland to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to submit its national long-term strategy in line with the Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action.
All EU Member States were obliged to submit by 1 January 2020 their national long-term strategies defining a coherent national plan and vision for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the EU's climate neutrality objective by 2050 and its commitments under the Paris Agreement, as set out under Article 15(1) of the EU Governance Regulation.
In September 2022, the Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Poland for failure to comply with its obligation under the EU Governance Regulation. This was followed up with a reasoned opinion in November 2023. Until now, Poland has not submitted its national long-term strategy and it is the only EU Member State that has not yet done so.
The Commission considers Poland as not having complied yet with its legal obligation yet and is therefore referring the Member State to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Background
The EU Governance Regulation establishes a coordinated and coherent mechanism to meet the objectives and targets of the Energy Union for greenhouse gas emissions reduction, renewable energy and energy efficiency among others.
The EU Governance Regulation mandates the development and submission of national long-term strategies, supporting the Commission in tracking alignment with EU-wide decarbonisation goals and fostering adaptive planning towards achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
National long-term strategies are a strategic tool to outline how EU Member States plan to achieve the GHG emissions reductions needed to meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement and EU's climate neutrality goal. The long-term strategies should be consistent with Member States integrated National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) for the period 2021-2030, which Poland has also not submitted and for which it has also been referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
At EU level, the Union finalised its long-term strategy in 2019 with the bottom goal of making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. In the European Climate Law, the EU set out that climate neutrality objective in legislation and the clear intermediate target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. The EU Governance Regulation sets out a process for the Member States to prepare, by 1 January 2020, their first long-term strategies with a perspective of at least 30 years, and new strategies every 10 years thereafter.
Poland's failure to submit its national strategy highlights the urgent necessity for all Member States to ensure coordinated and ambitious action and avoid any delay in the collective progress towards 2030 objectives.
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