Required by the EU Governance Regulation, National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) form the basis of the near-term European effort to combat the climate crisis and signal both the speed and direction of the transition to a low-carbon economy. The road to net zero emissions will result in substantial and transformational impacts on many parts of society. With this in mind, it is crucial that EU climate action be an open and transparent process; indeed, with the Aarhus Convention and its implementing legislation, public participation has become a legal obligation in the EU. Early and effective stakeholder engagement and consultation helps generate acceptance and buy-in thereby increasing the chances that the policies and measures detailed in the plans will be implemented to full effect.

This EFEX webinar explored the success of stakeholder participation in the NECP preparation process as well as its scope, best practice examples and value added for EU climate policy. A panel of expert speakers – Elisa Martellucci  and Agnese Ruggiero of Carbon Market Watch and David Donnerer of Energy Cities – drew on their experiences with the PlanUp project to discuss the EU perspective as well as the dialogues it organized between stakeholders and ministry officials. The panel was moderated by Matthias Duwe, Head Climate at Ecologic Institute.

PlanUp tracks the development of National Energy & Climate Plans in five EU Member States: Spain, Italy, Poland, Romania and Hungary. To support rapid decarbonisation in Europe the project promotes good practices in the transport, agriculture and building sector and fosters dialogue on low-carbon policymaking between local, regional and national authorities, civil society organizations and academia.

The Energy Future Exchange (EFEX) project is a joint initiative by Ecologic Institute Berlin, Ecologic Institute US and ACEEE funded in part by the EU Delegation to the US, with the goal of supporting and promoting transatlantic dialogue among civil society on issues vital to the EU-US relationship. More information can be found at energyfuturex.org and on Instagram @energyfuturex.