<div>To benefit from the support of the Recovery and Resilience Facility set up by the EU in the aftermath of the COVID-19-induced economic crisis, Member States submit their recovery and resilience plans to the European Commission. Each plan sets out the reforms and investments to be implemented by end-2026 and Member States can receive financing up to a previously agreed allocation. Each plan should effectively address challenges identified in the European Semester, particularly the country-specific recommendations of 2019 and 2020 adopted by the Council. It should also advance the green and digital transitions and make Member States’ economies and societies more resilient. The Commission validates the plan after which it effectively enters in force and EU subsidies can start flowing towards the member state.<br><br>The European Commission has given a positive assessment to <strong>Austria’s recovery and resilience plan, which will be financed by €3.5 billion in grants. 59% </strong>of the plan’s total allocation for reforms and investments supports climate objectives, including:</div><ul><li>&nbsp;<strong>Refocussing the tax system to benefit the climate: </strong>introducing tax reforms to incentivise green technologies, preferential tax rates for low- or zero emission products combined with targeted tax relief for companies and households in need.</li><li><strong>Emission-free transport: </strong>supporting the transition from fossil-fuel powered buses to zero-emission buses, a large-scale rollout of electric vehicles and installing charging stations. <strong>€256 million</strong></li><li><strong>Circular economy: </strong>reforming the re-use and recycling of beverage packaging, accompanied by financial support to install take-back systems in the retail sector. <strong>€170 million</strong></li><li><strong>Energy efficiency for homes: </strong>supporting private households to replace oil and gas heating with more sustainable heating devices. <strong>€159 million</strong></li><li><strong>Environmental mobility: </strong>expanding the electrified rail network between regions. <strong>€543 million</strong></li></ul>

<div>The Government Programme for the period 2020-2024 by the Greens and the Austrian People's Party follows eight aims, one of them being tackling the climate crisis and adhering to the goals of the Paris Agreement. <br><br>It sets the goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2040. Notably, nuclear power is not seen as an alternative, but instead focus is given to renewable energies. A Renewable Energy Expansion Act will provide the framework for the energy transition, and the <a href="https://climate-laws.org/geographies/austria/laws/energy-efficiency-act-49a244c4-90ad-40bd-b636-2c1dc57fcc1c">Energy Efficiency Act</a> further helps to reduce energy consumption. Ultimately, all sectors shall contribute to the energy transition. The Programme also incorporates social justice elements which must be considered in the transition to climate neutrality. The Programme also calls on Austria to take a leading role on the EU level.<br><br>Specifically, the Programme sets the following objectives:<br><br></div><ul><li>Climate neutrality by 2040;</li><li>100% of the electricity from renewable energies by 2030;</li><li>New climate protection law;</li><li>Binding and independent climate check for existing climate policies and laws;</li><li>Government takes responsibility for climate protection - climate cabinet;</li><li>Climate neutral administration;</li><li>Sustainable economy;</li><li>Renovations within buildings sector;</li><li>Fossil fuel phaseout from 2020;<ul><li>No more oil and coal heating after 2035;</li><li>No more gas boilers ' new connections in new buildings from 2025; and</li><li>Heating strategy for complete decarbonisation of the heating market.</li></ul></li><li>Passing a Renewable Energy Expansion Act and revising the Energy Efficiency Act;</li><li>1 million roofs photovoltaic programme;</li><li>Cross-cutting Circular Economy Strategy for the industrial sector;</li><li>Austria as an EU climate leader and advocate for CO2 tariffs at EU level and adjustment of EU climate targets to fulfil goals of the Paris Agreement;</li><li>Anti-nculear path and promotion of coal phase-out;</li><li>Advancing technology, digitalisation and innovation;</li><li>Leader in hydrogen; and</li><li>Ensuring supply and grid security.</li></ul>

<p>The National Energy and Climate (NECP) Plan is a ten-year integrated document mandated by the European Union to each of its member states in order for the EU to meet its overall greenhouse gases emissions targets.Austria's plan aims in particular to improve the development of transport, a sector which still needs improvement in Austria, especially in build-up areas and along transit routes. In that context, decarbonisation implies several objectives and measures : 1) the reduction of GHG emissions (non-ETS) by 36% compared to 2005, 2) to strengthen and develop public transport, 3) a mobility management for businesses, towns and cities, municipalities, regions and tourism, 4) e-mobility in private transport, 5) to green the standard fuel consumption tax and the engine-related insurance tax, 6) to input tax deduction for electric bicycles and motorcycles.&nbsp;Decarbonisation implies measures in the sectors of buildings, agriculture, forestry, waste management, fluorinated gases and spatial planning. For the energy, the main objective is to increase the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption of energy to 46-50%, and source 100% of electricity consumption from renewables (nationally/balanced).To achieve this goal, the main instrument remains on taxation (tax advantages/exemptions).&nbsp;The plan also aims to ensure measures concerning :&nbsp;1) the energy efficiency dimension, 2) the internal energy market dimension, 3) the research/innovation/competitiveness, 4) the evaluation and monitoring.&nbsp;</p>

&nbsp;Austria's climate change adaptation strategy identifies 14 key sectors: agriculture, forestry, water resources, tourism, energy, construction and housing, protection from natural hazards, disaster risk management, health, ecosystems/biodiversity, transport infrastructure, spatial planning, business/industry/trade, and cities. It defines principles to support the planning and implementation of adaptation measures and develops a plan of action.

This document examines how to increase cycling's modal share in the country.

The objective of this Act is to gradually introduce measures to reduce GHG emissions that fall outside of the scope of EU emissions trading. Such measures are intended to contribute to the realisation of the targets under the Paris Agreement, and targets under Union law for reducing GHG emissions in sectors outside of the EU emissions trading scheme. To this end, a national GHG emission allowance trading system shall be introduced in stages.<br><br>The national emissions allowance trading commences on 1 October 2022 and is divided into the following phases:&nbsp;<br><br></div><ul><li>From October 2022: 30 euros per tonne of CO2;</li><li>From 2023: 35 euros per tonne of CO2;</li><li>From 2024: 45 euros per tonne of CO2; and</li><li>From 2025: 55 euros per tonne of CO2.&nbsp;</li></ul><div><br>

The 2022 tax reform act (ÖkoStRefG 2022) introduces a carbon levy of 30 euros per tonne. The levy will start in June 2022 and rise to 55 euros per tonne in 2025. The reform also implements the following tax amendments:An investment allowance for depreciable fixed assets is to be introduced in order to create incentives for (ecological) business investments.A regional climate bonus. To compensate for CO2 pricing, there is a flat-rate reimbursement via the regional climate bonus. The amount of the reimbursement is determined by the classification of the municipality of residence and can be shown as follows:Category 1: EUR 100 per person and year (urban centers with the highest level of public transport)Category 2: EUR 133 per person and year (urban centers with at least good public transport connections)Category 3: EUR 167 per person and year (centres and the environs of centers with at least good basic access)Category 4: EUR 200 per person per year (rural communities and communities with at most basic development)Children are entitled to the climate bonus at 50% of the value. The payment is made as a supplement to the climate bonus of people who have children. The exact modalities of the payment are not yet known.

According to section 2(1), this Act regulates:<br><br></div><ol><li>the support scheme for electricity from renewables;</li><li>the organisation and functioning of renewable energy communities;</li><li>the support scheme for gas from renewables;</li><li>the support scheme for hydrogen from renewables;</li><li>guarantees of origin for renewable energies and the recognition of guarantees of origin issued in other countries'</li><li>certificates for gas from renewables; and</li><li>the establishment of an integrated network plan.</li></ol><div><br>To this end, the Act foresees feed-in premiums for electricity from specific renewables and investment grants as types of support.<br>&nbsp;</div><div>Overall, the Act aims at contributing to the goals of the Paris Agreement and the EU's goal to cover at least 32% of the EU's gross final consumption of energy through renewable sources by 2030, and further, to make Austria climate neutral by 2040 (section 4(1)). Specifically, the Act aims at:<br><br></div><ol><li>promoting the generation of renewable electricity and the production of renewable gas;</li><li>increasing the quantity of renewable electricity;</li><li>ensuring that the generation of renewable electricity and the production of renewable gas are efficient, market-based and competitive;</li><li>increasing the penetration, market and system integration of renewables;</li><li>providing certainty for investors in renewable electricity plants;</li><li>providing certainty for investors in renewable gas plants;</li><li>increasing the quantity of renewable gas produced in Austria to 5 TWh by 2030;</li><li>enabling private individuals to form renewable energy communities with local authorities or SMEs and promoting the production and consumption of energy within these communities;</li><li>supporting the construction and upgrading of required infrastructure;</li><li>promoting renewable hydrogen.</li></ol><div><br>Pursuant to section 4(2), the Act states the objective that domestic renewable electricity generation equals total domestic electricity consumption from 2030 onwards. And section 4(3) sets the target of annual renewable electricity generation being increased by 27 TWh by 2030 with a 2020 baseline to reach this objective. Specifically, 11 TWh shall come from PV, 10 TWh from wind, 5 TWh from hydro, and 1 TWh from biomass. The PV contribution shall rely on a programme to install panels on 1 million rooftops.&nbsp;</div><div><br>

Pursuant to section 1, the objectives of this Act are to compensate forest owners for damage caused by climate change, particularly bark beetle proliferation; to reduce the infestation of Austrian forests by bark beetles; to develop climate-smart forests and strengthen biodiversity; and to strengthen the use of wood as a raw material in order to actively contribute to climate protection.&nbsp;<br><br>To reach these objectives, section 2 sets up a forest fund for which 350 million euros shall be made available from federal funds.

The 2020 tax reform act (StRefG 2020) amends the rules determining a number of taxes, including income tax, corporate income tax, sales tax.It notably 1) likens e-bikes and e-motorcycles to e-cars in terms of input VAT for the private sector., 2) exempts own electricity tax for private owners of photovoltaic systems self-consuming their production, 3) modifies car registration fee and ties it to carbon emissions, 4) introduces an aviation tax per ticket based on flight length, and 5) tackles carbon pricing in other ways.

Austria. National Communication (NC). NC 8. Biennial Reports (BR). BR 5., National Communication,Biennial Report from Austria in 2022

Austria. 2022 National Inventory Report (NIR), National Inventory Report from Austria in 2022

Austria's Adaptation communication, Adaptation Communication from Austria in 2021

Austria. 2021 National Inventory Report (NIR), National Inventory Report from Austria in 2021

Long-Term Strategy 2050 - Austria, Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategy from Austria in 2020

Energy Efficiency Act

Federal Energy Efficiency Act

Law passed

Last amended

The Act was designed to reduce energy consumption in Austria. In 2006, the EU had set a binding target for all member states to increase their energy efficiency by 20% by 2020. The Act targets lower consumption by energy providers, large companies and government agencies with the aim of increasing Austria's energy efficiency by 1.5% per annum, starting in 2014.

No more than 1,050 petajoules consumed annually by 2020

1.5% efficiency increase of final energy consumption annually by 2020 against a 2014 baseline

Energy suppliers undertake at least 40% energy efficiency measures in customer households by 2020 against a 2015 baseline

48.2 GWh (3% annual) energy efficiency refurbishment by 2020 against a 2014 baseline

310 petajoules saved by energy efficiency (159 from suppliers, 151 from strategic measures); 80.4 petajoules by 2017 by 2014-2020 compared with a business as usual scenario

Energy Efficiency Act

Main documents

Targets (5)

Timeline

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