Critique of Draft NECPs 2023 coverage of Research, Innovation & Competitiveness for ten Member States

The NECPs will, as the European Commission noted, need a “renewed and stronger focus on competitiveness, innovation and investments within the Energy Union.” With the Net Zero Industry Act agreed and set to become law by the time final version of NECPs must be submitted (30 June 2024), Member States should, in the time remaining, anticipate their obligation under Article 30 of NZIA to “take [it] into consideration” in NECPs, particularly regarding the dimension “research, innovation and competitiveness”.

This document therefore examines the ‘Research, Innovation and Competitiveness’ content related to renewable energy of the draft National Energy and Climate Plans of ten Member States:

• The Netherlands
• Spain
• Italy
• Sweden
• Denmark
• Slovakia
• Luxembourg
• Lithuania
• Germany
• Portugal

The report is divided into two sections:

Part 1 analyses NECPs on a country-by-country basis, discussing the extent to which each NECP takes account of the adoption of the legislation in the “Fit for 55” package; the country’s renewable energy and R&I strategy; and funding mechanisms illustrated in the NECP.

Part 2 looks at how countries have covered a few selected cross-cutting themes. These are not commented on in Part 1:

• Digitalisation
• Skills/education/training
• The SET Plan (EU’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan)
• Collaboration within the research community

 

This report was authored by EUREC, with feedback and contributions from the signatories as part of a joint ETIP collaboration: RHC ETIP, ETIP Photovoltaics, ESTELA, ETIP Wind, ETIP Bioenergy, ETIP Geothermal, and ETIP Ocean.