For months, it was a bone of contention between the ÖVP and the Greens – the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), which must be reported by each country to the European Commission. The Greens’ approval of the appointment of Magnus Brunner as EU Commissioner has now provided the breakthrough. Both parties have reached compromises.
The NEKP shows which measures each EU country intends to use to achieve the EU-wide target of a 55 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030. Austria was the only country that did not report a climate plan to Brussels due to the disagreement between the ÖVP and the Greens. There was a risk of fines. Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler had already sent a draft to Brussels in October 2023, somewhat late and without coordination with the ÖVP.
European Minister Karoline Edtstadler called him back because he disagreed with the People’s Party. The European Commission then started infringement proceedings against Austria in December 2023.
The Greens are abandoning targets for individual sectors such as agriculture
The Greens have now used the Brunner deal as an opportunity to force a compromise from the ÖVP. The second part of the turquoise-green pact is the new security doctrine, which prescribes the phasing out of Russian gas by 2027.
Both government parties have reached compromises: the Greens are abandoning the so-called sector targets and the ÖVP is committed to abolishing climate-damaging subsidies. This mainly concerns the diesel privilege (lower mineral oil tax on diesel than on petrol) and the company car privilege (companies can deduct the costs of the company car from their taxes). The diesel privilege is particularly sacred to farmers. The sector targets in turn would have set mandatory targets for certain areas, such as agriculture, the energy sector and transport. Farmers in particular are opposed to this.
Environmentalists demand rapid implementation
Of course, the measures in the climate plan are not yet law; they all still have to be decided and that will not happen in this legislature. The Greens are still relieved about the agreement. There is also praise from environmental organizations, but also demands. The WWF demands an ambitious and rapid implementation of the planned measures in practice.
“Austria can achieve its CO2 reduction targets, but must take many additional measures to do so. “Energy-saving programmes, the abolition of environmentally harmful subsidies and more nature and soil protection are particularly urgent,” says WWF climate spokesman Reinhard Uhrig. The WWF is therefore calling for a large-scale nature and climate protection offensive by the future federal government.
Pressure on the next government
Adam Pawloff, program director at Greenpeace, welcomed the agreement. “But it remains to be seen what the climate plan can mean in terms of content. One thing is clear: the problem must be tackled at the root and emissions must be radically reduced. To achieve this, climate-damaging subsidies must be abolished and climate-friendly mobility must be promoted. Anyone who instead puts everything on the map of carbon capture has already lost the game.”
Fridays For Future also holds the new government responsible. “Our decade is the decisive decade to ensure a good life in Austria. Austria must reduce its own emissions by almost half by 2030. Regardless of who is in government, there is already a clear government mandate. The incoming government is the last one who can save the achievement of the national climate targets; we are facing a split in climate policy. That is why there must be a competition between the best solutions in the election campaign,” says Fridays For Future spokeswoman Emma.
SPÖ finds a bad compromise
Minister Gewessler emphasizes that the newspaper has avoided fines and has drawn up a roadmap for CO2 reduction. “We take the protection of our climate seriously. This will also be reflected in the Austrian climate plan. We will achieve our goals, avoid fines and protect our livelihoods.”
There was criticism from the SPÖ. European spokesman Jörg Leichtfried: “It is just another bad black-green compromise. The last NEKP draft was not sufficient and now its content has been watered down again. This means that in the last draft the target was missed by 13 percent and that now the individual sector targets have also been scrapped. This leaves us with uncertainty and loopholes. This is bad for both climate protection and companies.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
