Today’s State of the Union report highlights that certain risks may become chronic: Member States are falling short of the EU’s renewable energy and efficiency goals. This is a call for Brussels to strengthen the monitoring and enforcement, with the creation of an EU energy agency.

While the European Commission notes EU countries’ progress in reducing reliance on Russian fuel and bolstering energy security, it acknowledges a glaring gap in efforts to meet crucial climate targets. It’s alarming that the EU is still importing fossil fuels worth hundreds of millions of euros each week from Russia, even after two and a half years of war that has deliberately targeted Ukrainian civilians.

The EU executive must call for more ambition on renewables and energy efficiency in the National Climate and Energy Plans (NCEPs). Special attention should be given to plans that rely heavily on new nuclear plants, as alternative pathways will be necessary if construction timelines are missed. One example of this is France, the only EU state that missed the 2020 renewables targets.

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) is also calling on the EU Commission for immediate improvements in monitoring and enforcement of key climate targets. We propose the establishment of national and EU-level task forces to evaluate and report on EU States’ measures taken to achieve renewables, energy efficiency, and emissions-reduction targets. Additionally, the EEB also endorses the creation of an EU energy agency, as recently proposed by economists and researchers, to guide the transition to carbon neutrality with authority, transparency, and consistency.

Luke Haywood, policy manager for Climate and Energy at the EEB, said:

“If EU climate legislation is failing to deliver impact at the national level, then we have a serious problem. This report is a clear message to the Commission and EU States: it’s time to get serious about implementation. In the new mandate, task forces must be set up to assess progress on energy savings, renewables, and electrification. An EU energy agency is also urgently needed to make widely available reliable data to guide Europe’s energy transition.”

The current ambition gap in renewables and energy efficiency targets is not just a climate issue—it’s a socioeconomic risk. Limited progress on building renovations and renewable energy for transport and heating will hit the most vulnerable, especially with carbon pricing set to raise fossil fuel costs by 2027. The energy transition must accelerate, or the consequences will be felt across Europe’s economy and society.

ENDS