EU governments ignore citizens on climate and energy planning
Posted on March, 27 2025
The vast majority of EU governments failed to ensure meaningful public participation in the revision of their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), breaching EU law and international obligations under the Aarhus Convention. This was revealed by a new report by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe and WWF, ‘Struggling for a Voice: The Mixed Reality of Public Participation in National Energy and Climate Plans’.
National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) are vital strategic documents that outline how each EU Member State intends to achieve its 2030 climate and energy targets. These plans underwent revisions in 2023 and 2024. However, in most countries, the public consultation process was inadequate - either rushed, opaque, or merely a formality. As a result, citizens and civil society organisations were largely excluded from influencing key climate policies that directly affect people’s lives.
“If we want the public to support the climate transition we will have to listen to citizens, understand their needs, and put public participation at the heart of the process. Meaningful public participation isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s essential for climate policies that actually work. Member States need to stop treating consultation as a mere formality and start giving people a real voice in shaping the future,” said Michael Sicaud-Clyet, Climate Policy Officer at WWF EU.
Despite Member States being legally obliged under the Climate Governance Regulation (Article 10), 25 out of 27 EU Member States received a slap on the wrist from the European Commission for having poor consultation processes. This widespread failure highlights a systemic failure across the bloc.
The new CAN Europe and WWF report reveals significant shortcomings in the public consultation processes. In many cases, governments launched consultations only a few weeks before submitting their draft plans to the European Commission - or in some instances, even after submission. In 17 countries, these consultations were either too late or too limited to allow for meaningful public input. Additionally, in 21 Member States, governments failed to explain how public feedback was incorporated into the final plans, directly violating the Governance Regulation and the Aarhus Convention.
Online consultations also posed significant challenges. Several were poorly designed, with restrictive formats and limited space for input, making it difficult for civil society organisations to engage effectively in the process.
"EU institutions must step up too and hold Member States accountable for their shortcomings while also strengthening the legal framework to ensure meaningful public participation. It’s time for them to play their part and make sure citizens have a real voice in decision-making," said Romain Didi, Climate Governance and Human Rights Policy Coordinator at CAN Europe.
The report urges the European Commission and Member States to learn from these failures and take immediate steps to improve upcoming consultations, particularly those related to the Social Climate Plans. CAN Europe and WWF are also advocating for a strengthening of the Governance Regulation so that it is explicitly required for consultations to take place when all options are still open, the introduction of minimum consultation timeframes, and a requirement that governments explain how public input has been taken into account in final decisions.
“If we want the public to support the climate transition we will have to listen to citizens, understand their needs, and put public participation at the heart of the process. Meaningful public participation isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s essential for climate policies that actually work. Member States need to stop treating consultation as a mere formality and start giving people a real voice in shaping the future,” said Michael Sicaud-Clyet, Climate Policy Officer at WWF EU.
Despite Member States being legally obliged under the Climate Governance Regulation (Article 10), 25 out of 27 EU Member States received a slap on the wrist from the European Commission for having poor consultation processes. This widespread failure highlights a systemic failure across the bloc.
The new CAN Europe and WWF report reveals significant shortcomings in the public consultation processes. In many cases, governments launched consultations only a few weeks before submitting their draft plans to the European Commission - or in some instances, even after submission. In 17 countries, these consultations were either too late or too limited to allow for meaningful public input. Additionally, in 21 Member States, governments failed to explain how public feedback was incorporated into the final plans, directly violating the Governance Regulation and the Aarhus Convention.
Online consultations also posed significant challenges. Several were poorly designed, with restrictive formats and limited space for input, making it difficult for civil society organisations to engage effectively in the process.
"EU institutions must step up too and hold Member States accountable for their shortcomings while also strengthening the legal framework to ensure meaningful public participation. It’s time for them to play their part and make sure citizens have a real voice in decision-making," said Romain Didi, Climate Governance and Human Rights Policy Coordinator at CAN Europe.
The report urges the European Commission and Member States to learn from these failures and take immediate steps to improve upcoming consultations, particularly those related to the Social Climate Plans. CAN Europe and WWF are also advocating for a strengthening of the Governance Regulation so that it is explicitly required for consultations to take place when all options are still open, the introduction of minimum consultation timeframes, and a requirement that governments explain how public input has been taken into account in final decisions.
