Posted on April, 06 2017

Only eleven EU Member States delivered a 2050 emissions reduction strategy by 2015 as required by EU law - and the strategies that were submitted vary hugely in quality. These are the findings of this report from the EU LIFE-funded MaxiMiseR project from WWF’s European Policy Office.

France’s long-term strategy scored highest in the project’s rankings, with a top score of 78%, followed by the UK with 71%. France’s overall score was brought down by its low emissions reduction target of 75% by 2050. At the other end of the scale, Cyprus only scored 25%, partly because it only submitted a draft strategy.

A good low emissions strategy should be in line with our Paris Agreement climate goals, enforceable, transparent and developed with business and civil society input. A few countries are getting it partly right, and some - for example Germany - have already produced updated plans which are a good deal stronger than the 2015 versions - but a lot more must be done to ensure others catch up.

Clear guidance from the EU, good enforcement mechanisms and regular reviews would help Member States reduce emissions while ensuring the well being and prosperity of all European citizens.

Read the report