Study: No EU country has calculated transport decarbonisation costs

(EurActiv, 20 Nov 2019) The EU risks missing its target to decarbonise transport by 2030, as in the current draft plans of member states there is no cost-effectiveness calculation of the different proposed measures, a study has found.

As part of the implementation of the new Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), EU member states are currently drafting 10-year National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs).

These plans describe the precise mixture of renewable energies set to be used to meet climate objectives in transport. The deadline to submit the plans is by the end of the year.

Farm Europe, a think tank specialising in agricultural topics, has published a study suggesting that the current draft plans risk being ineffective due to the lack of a calculation method on the cost-effectiveness of the proposals.

The RED II offers a variety of measures to decarbonise transport, ranging from electrification to conventional, advanced biofuels and hydrogen.

According to the study, only three member states (Finland, Italy and Spain) have a robust transport decarbonisation plan while just seven (Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Slovenia) have considered all options “realistically”. In addition, a public consultation on NECPs took place in only nine countries.

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EurActiv, 20 Nov 2019: Study: No EU country has calculated transport decarbonisation costs