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AUSTRIA
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Overall assessment
The 2010 Climate Policy Tracker gave Austria a rating of E. In general, the energy and climate policy is stable with some small positive changes. Like many European countries, Austria faces tightened budgets, but support for energy and climate policy was not affected. In 2011, Austria introduced some environmental taxes for the transport sector, including a mineral oil tax of 20€/t CO2 and an air traffic fee. A special focus was put on thermal renovation; the funds available could improve renovation rates by an additional 1% per year. |
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BELGIUM
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Belgium a rating of E. Since last year, the policy package has largely remained the same. In June 2010, federal elections were held in Belgium. Since then negotiations on forming a new coalition have been ongoing. The absence of a federal government has impeded the development and introduction of new environmental policies. During that time only small changes, mostly budget cuts, have been made to existing policies. |
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BULGARIA
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Bulgaria a rating of F and developments over the last year did not see a general improvement. The stability of the policy support for renewables remains a point of attention. A new act for renewables was adopted in April, but contained significant last minute changes to the advantage of biomass and disadvantage of solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind. Plans for new nuclear power might decrease attention on energy efficiency and renewables. Bulgaria abandoned the obligatory share of biofuels in transport, increasing diesel fuel use. A new forestry act was adopted that should better promote afforestation of Bulgaria’s national forests |
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CYPRUS
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Cyprusa rating of F.In the last year, some progress in renewable energy installation was observed, but at the same time, the plans for an additional 100 megawatts (MW) of wind energy were not approved. Cyprusdid not see much development towards a greener economy. It is currently developing a strategy to be in line with the EU 2050 roadmap, but no details are publicly available yet. |
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CZECH REPUBLIC
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave the Czech Republic a rating of E. Since then, no major changes have taken place; some minor changes have improved the overall situation (e.g. extension of budget available for energy efficiency projects in industry; speeding-up process for the green savings programme). But at the same time, the support for photovoltaics (PV) was cut to about half the feed-in tariff of 2010 and a tax on such electricity was introduced. |
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DENMARK
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Overall assessment
The 2010 Climate Policy Tracker gave Denmark a rating of D. Implemented climate and energy policies did not see significant changes over the last year; however the government published a strategy on how Denmark can become independent of fossil fuels by 2050. The strategy contains specific recommendations and details the financial impact. The strategy has not yet been negotiated in the Danish Parliament and has therefore not resulted in new legally agreed targets, policies or measures. |
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ESTONIA
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Estoniaa rating of E.Early in 2010 the subsidy levels for renewable energy were reduced. Estonia’s government now wants to revise the subsidies for renewable energy producers again. However, the government of Estonia is increasing investment in the renewable energy sector, using the revenues from CO2 quotas sold, known as assigned amount units (AAU). Funds for financial support of wind farms, energy efficiency improvement of local government buildings and efficient public transport have already been allocated. Furthermore an Electric Mobility Programme has been set up. The measures undertaken can be described as a positive trend, while not yet being a significant improvement. |
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FINLAND
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Finlanda rating of F.Since then the trend is slightly positive as Finland introduced a feed-in premium scheme to promote the use of renewable energy in January 2011. The premium is in most cases adequate, although ambition levels for solar, wind and geothermal energy remain low.
After the elections in April 2011, a government was formed in June 2011. The new government has shown some climate ambition in the governmental programme, but the concrete policy measures are still quite unclear. For example, the decision about an ambitious climate law was left open in the government’s programme. |
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FRANCE
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave France a rating of E. Climate policy is relatively well developed compared to the other EU Member States, but yet not ambitious enough to transform France into a low-carbon economy. Climate policy in Francedid not change significantly in the past 12 months. Existing policy initiatives have continued with minor changes. A rather strong cut was made at the beginning of 2011 to the support of photovoltaics (PV), which now receives a significantly lower feed-in tariff. On the positive side, the second phase of France’s white certificate scheme has started, lasting until 2013. In July 2011 a national climate change adaptation plan was published. |
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GERMANY
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Germany a rating of D. Germany’s climate policies have undergone major discussion in the last 12 months, although the changes have not (yet) improved policies that lead towards a low-carbon economy.
The main development concerned the Energy Concept - the September 2010 version included an extension of the lifetime of Germany’s nuclear power plants. The Energy Concept set a (not legally binding) 2050 CO2 emission reduction target of 80-95% compared to 1990 levels and introduced long-term renewable energy targets. In June 2011, a new version of the Energy Concept was approved, with the major change being the phasing-out of all nuclear power plants by 2022. The corresponding laws were approved by parliament in June. It has not been defined which power generation sources should replace the nuclear capacity, which could lead to an increased coal power generation capacity. Another important law on accelerated grid expansion is intended to enable greater penetration of renewable energies. |
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GREECE
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Greecea rating of F.Several positive initiatives have since been introduced, such as the new renewable energy law, the creation of a green fund, the publication of forest maps and the target of € 3.1m renovation measures in households by 2020. However, the current policy framework is heavily defined by the economic crisis and the focus on cost reduction. In several cases policies with negative effects for low-carbondevelopment were introduced. This puts into question the effectiveness of government’s climate initiatives. |
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HUNGARY
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Hungarya rating of E. Overall climate and energy policy developments are positive. Hungary tackled one of the issues that we identified as being in need of improvement last year: the subsidy scheme for renewables and gas-fuelled combined heat and power has been split. The controversial feed-in tariff system (KÁT) is currently under revision; gas and biomass co-fired combined heat and power plants (that receive a large part of the funding) will gradually benefit less from the feed-in tariff. To support heat production in gas and biomass combined heat and power plants a new subsidy scheme is expected as of September 2011. The new government – elected in spring 2010 – considers the green economy as a future driver of development. The National Renewable Energy Action Plan was adopted in 2010. A new, national energy strategy was adopted by the government and sent to Parliament for discussion and adoption in their autumn session. |
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IRELAND
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Ireland a rating of D. The overall trend for Ireland is negative, with the most significant change being the shelving of the draft Climate Change Bill that would have committed Ireland to an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050. The global economic crisis has had a particularly significant impact on Ireland and a change of government puts the focus firmly on economic recovery. A number of policies that support renewable electricity, heat and transport have been closed or suspended. Nevertheless, a new National Biofuels Obligation Scheme has been introduced and feed-in tariffs for renewable electricity generation is also to be expanded, pending state aid clearance by the European Commission. The carbon tax introduced in 2010 will be doubled by 2014. This is expected to lead to approx €330m in overall savings. |
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ITALY
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Italya rating of E. Sincethen, there were some small advances in policy, but Italy still lacks a comprehensive climate strategy reflecting a true ambition to reach a low-carbon economy, a situation compounded by a general lack of coordination and push at the national level. The National Renewable Energy Action Plan was published in June 2010 and the Energy Efficiency Action Plan in July 2011, and they contain initiatives which are supposed to be implemented in the fourth quarter of 2011. However, the difficult economic situation could delay or reduce incentives to move towards a low-carbon economy, unless the government finally starts to consider the green economy as one of the most promising recovery strategies. |
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LATVIA
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Latvia a rating of E. No significant changes to climate policy have taken place in Latvia in the last 12 months. However, changes in Latvia’s renewable electricity legislation during 2010 were made to the implementation of feed-in tariffs. The new regulations are more transparent and clear. The law on renewable energy was due to come into force on 1 July 2011, however by the end of August it was still not effective. Climate change financial instruments have been used to support renewable electricity, heat and transport. These instruments are designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions by introducing renewable energy technologies in heat and electricity production. They have already been applied to the household sector, public buildings and various sizes of businesses. There was no information about a possible prolongation of Latvia’s Energy Efficiency Action Plan, the Climate Change Mitigation Programme and the quota obligations for biofuels available. |
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LITHUANIA
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Lithuaniaa rating of E. The most important changes since then are related to the improvement of renewable energy policy in Lithuania. The national strategy for the development of renewable energy sources as well as the implementation plan for 2010-2015 was approved in 2010. Accordingly, support schemes, which could ensure favourable conditions for renewable energy utilisation, are due to be prepared and implemented this year. The law on renewable energy came into force in May 2011. The adoption of new policy could have positive impacts, but currently it can only be considered as being the first step towards improvement. The National Energy Independence Strategy was adopted by the government in June 2011. |
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LUXEMBOURG
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Luxembourg a rating of F. There have been no significant developments in the past 12 months. Towards the end of 2011 new policy measures are expected as part of the 2nd CO2 action plan. |
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MALTA
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Maltaa rating of F.The energy policy of Malta is still mainly focused on stimulation of photovoltaics (PV) solar power and wind energy. For PV, existing policies have been extended, for wind energy, the focus is on offshore. Three possible locations for wind parks have been indicated. The feed-in-tariff for solar electricity that is fed back into the grid has been increased to €25 to €28 ct/kWh. The public transport reform of July 2011 is introducing new Euro V buses and is expected to cut emissions. Policies on renewable in heating and cooling and transportation have remained almost unchanged: the grant scheme for solar water heaters is prolonged and the once-only grant for electrical vehicles has been increased. |
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NETHERLANDS
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave the Netherlands a rating of E. Developments over the last 12 months show a weakening of policy in several areas. The Netherlands lowered its ambition by selecting EU targets instead of its previously formulated and more far-reaching national targets. A new government has not developed a vision or strategy that looks beyond 2020. Plans for a green deal, published in October 2011, contain no new steps in the transition towards a low-carbon economy. The stability of the renewable energy policy also remains a point of concern, with a lack of clarity about the scale of future support. |
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POLAND
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Polanda rating of F. The policy package is stable compared to last year, with limited positive and some negative changes. Polandis currently implementing the EU climate and policy package, with action plans for renewable energy, low carbon and energy efficiency targets for 2020. Energy efficiency in buildings is supported through funds raised from the sale of emissions allowances and by a new white certificate scheme, which also covers generation, transmission end user savings and more. The tax exemption for biofuels recently expired. Polandis planning new nuclear power capacity and exploring the use of shale gas. The emissions cap for power plants is not strictly implemented as Poland plans to use the option of transitional free allocation of emissions allowances for power plants while aiming to complete the modernisation of the energy sector. |
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PORTUGAL
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Portugala rating of E.Portugalis showing a slightly positive development in its comprehensive approach to creating a low-carbon and green economy. However, action is limited due to the difficult financial situation. Both energy efficiency and renewable energy are promoted and supported at all levels to some extent. Environment-related fiscal reform is being considered to eliminate indirect incentives for fossil fuel. |
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ROMANIA
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Romania a rating of F. Romania has since taken further steps to implement the EU Directives. An afforestation plan was adopted for the period until 2035 and severe penalties on illegal cuts were introduced. A subsidy scheme for hybrid and electric cars was introduced. Romania plans to continue subsidies on coal mining. |
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SLOVAKIA
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Slovakiaa rating of E.There havenot been significant changes in Slovakian climate policy, but support conditions for new renewable electricity installations have deteriorated as tariffs decreased by 10%. The quota obligations for biofuels in transport sector have not been prolonged for 2010 and 2011. However, the newly elected government did reinstate the Ministry of Environment. There were no significant changes in other sectors: programmes and support schemes remain the same as in previous years. The overall situation is in many aspects characterised by post- socialist structures, with a strong focus on economic development. |
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SLOVENIA
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Slovenia a rating of E. Over the last year Slovenia implemented some positive climate and energy policies. The drafts of the Climate Change Actand the Long-Term Climate (Low-Carbon) Strategyhave been prepared. Progress in encouraging the switch to renewables and greater energy efficiency has been made and access to EU funding is expected to improve. Slovenia introduced programmes to co-finance renewable heat in households, industry and district heating with biomass. An amendment to the Regulation on Support of Electricity Produced from Renewables, introduces a 10% annual decrease of support for photovoltaic (PV) installations until 2014. Slovenia is improving the building certification process. Conditions have been created for sustainable forest management. |
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SPAIN
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Spain a rating of E. In order to accelerate economic recovery, Spain has implemented different laws and programmes that aim to increase energy efficiency and energy savings in transport and the building sector, although some of the measures introduced are only temporary. Spain has increased its biofuel quota. These small positive developments are counteracted by negative developments, which were partly due to budget cuts. The feed-in tariffs for wind and solar power were significantly reduced for new and existing installations. Spain is prolonging its heavy coal subsidies and nuclear time spans. Furthermore, Spain’s draft national climate strategy only extends to 2020, and intends to lower its overall 2020 renewables target compared to the previously published National Renewable Energy Action Plan. |
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SWEDEN
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave Sweden a rating of D. Energy and climate policy has remained relatively stable in Sweden over the past 12 months, with small positive changes to the energy and carbon tax system and an extension announced of the quota obligation for renewable electricity. Sweden also announced an intention to launch a joint tradable green certificate market with Norway as from 2012. |
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UNITED KINGDOM
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Overall assessment
The 2010 version of the Climate Policy Tracker gave the United Kingdom a rating of E. Since last year’s assessment the UK government has announced a spending review which aims to reduce the country’s economic deficit. Some renewable energy and energy efficiency schemes were cut as part of this review (for example the Warm Front Scheme), while others were reduced in scope (Renewable Heat Incentive, Carbon Trust). Some new measures are being introduced, such as a £3bn (€3.4bn) Green Investment Bank, a carbon floor price within the power sector, and the halting of airport runway expansion in the South East of England. The Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme has now been transformed into essentially a carbon tax with revenues going to the Treasury instead of scheme participants. Overall the UK Committee on Climate Change warned in June 2011 that UK policies are failing to achieve the needed step change. |
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