The alarming warnings from scientists about climate change have not resonated with a large portion of political leadership. More than half of European countries still lack binding climate laws. This finding comes from the Climate Laws in Europe report, part of the Life Unify initiative, which supports a rapid, effective shift of EU member states toward resilient, low carbon economies.
The report surveys seventeen European nations: Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Nine of these countries have not yet enacted climate legislation. Spain is an exception, having adopted the Climate Change and Energy Transformation Act the previous year.
In July last year the European Commission opened a package of legislative proposals, including the Fit for 55 package aimed at aligning EU rules with the 2050 climate neutrality objective and cutting net emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, before further tightening to 40 percent in some contexts.
An additional priority has joined these reforms. The REPowerEU plan addresses rising energy prices and the war in Ukraine, emphasizing a faster decarbonisation path for the EU and enhanced energy sovereignty and security.
The reforms cover European laws on climate, energy, buildings, transport and land use, among other areas.
Important development in Spain
Unify, a project led by SEO/BirdLife in Spain, focuses its report on climate action targets, relevant policies and measures, the degree of public participation, and the presence of an independent expert committee in each country’s regulatory framework. The analysis highlights the need for independent scientific advice to guide policy in every nation.
According to the report’s main conclusions, nine of the seventeen countries studied still lack a national climate law. These are Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Italy, Turkey, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Latvia, and Greece. Several of these laws are still under development.
The number of forest fires continues to rise, underscoring the link between climate change and fire risk.
The work is essential to ensure compliance with commitments. Countries must take responsibility for their emissions, establish monitoring mechanisms that steer them toward climate neutrality, set concrete timelines, and create independent expert bodies to assess progress using scientific criteria.
Regarding Spain, the report notes that the law marks significant progress but calls for faster action. It also points to missing elements valued in other countries, such as fixed carbon budgets and sector specific emission targets, arguing for accelerated reductions across all sectors.
Spain aims to cut emissions by 23 percent from 1990 levels by 2030 and to reach climate neutrality before 2050. The council is also urged to begin updating these targets upward in a timely manner.
Accelerate emission reduction
The document emphasizes a civil society push for accelerated decarbonisation and stronger 2030 reductions guided by scientific criteria of economic capacity, solidarity, climate justice and historical responsibility. It argues for a decarbonisation emergency that makes renewables more compatible with biodiversity and invites greater participation from rural and urban communities alike.
The report also stresses the value of broader public engagement. Despite multiple drafts and consultations, the legislative text progressed in Parliament during the pandemic lockdown with limited open forums for public debate. Civil society nonetheless maintained opportunities to discuss changes with political groups.
In parallel, the law catalyzed the creation of a Climate Citizens’ Assembly, which after seven months of deliberation issued 172 climate recommendations to lawmakers and government for consideration this June.
The act foresees the creation of a Committee of Experts on Climate Change and Energy Transition to guide policy with science, a body that has not yet materialized a year after the law took effect. The need for timely establishment of this committee and adequate resources remains a priority for independent oversight.
The NGO stresses that the committee should promptly propose revisions of 2023 emission reduction targets and ensure resources to operate independently from the outset.
200 million euro investment
Ana Márquez, coordinator of the Life Unify project in Spain, notes that the Spanish law’s implementation will require more than two hundred billion euros in the coming years. Investments are targeted at ecological transition priorities such as renewable projects aligned with biodiversity, including self consumption; improving energy efficiency in buildings; and creating low emission zones in cities. Regional and local governments are called upon to provide the necessary support and momentum for these initiatives.
Autonomous communities retain power in critical emission sectors and in protecting biodiversity and carbon-rich ecosystems.
The regional landscape
Only four regions currently feature climate change laws: Catalonia, Andalusia, the Balearic Islands and Navarra. In the Canary Islands and Valencia, preliminary bills have won approval and are moving through Parliament. The Basque Country expects to approve its bill in the second half of the year, with Aragon, Galicia and La Rioja also actively drafting proposals. The remaining seven regions and two autonomous cities have yet to confirm their plans.
Countries in the Unify program include Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, all operating under the broader EU framework represented by Climate Change Network Europe. The reference report for this work is provided by CAN Europe via the Unify project portal.
The Unify initiative also highlights the ongoing need for clear, practical, and accountable paths toward climate action across Europe, with a continued emphasis on public participation and independent assessment to drive higher ambition and faster results.