Three EU Infringement Procedures Against Austria

The European Commission announced on Friday in Brussels that it is initiating three more infringement procedures against Austria and other EU countries: Firstly, almost all EU countries have not implemented the revised Energy Efficiency Directive in a timely manner. Austria and other countries have also not fully complied with an annex of the Renewable Energy Directive and have incorrectly implemented the Eurovignette Directive.

Czech Republic Alone in the Field

The new Energy Efficiency Directive sets a binding target to reduce final energy consumption in the EU by 11.7 percent by 2030 (compared to 2020 forecasts). The public sector is to reduce its own final energy consumption by 1.9 percent annually (compared to 2021) and renovate at least 3 percent of public buildings annually. The regulation is also intended to promote energy efficiency services, including through energy service companies and innovative financing solutions. So far, only the Czech Republic has reported the full implementation of the directive on time.

Two More Directives

The annex of the Renewable Energy Directive contains a list of raw materials mainly used for the production of biogas and biofuels in the transport sector. According to the EU Commission, these fuels are promoted in the directive because they have better environmental compatibility than conventional biofuels. The changes had to be implemented by September 14, 2025. So far, 15 member states have not reported the full implementation of the changes to Brussels.

The aim of the Eurovignette Directive is to harmonize the collection of road usage fees in the EU. It applies to cars, buses, and light commercial vehicles and specifies how member states must consider the environmental costs of air pollution, noise, and CO2 emissions in their road usage fees to promote the use of more environmentally friendly vehicles. Austria has not provided sufficient evidence as to why it wants to deviate from the obligation to adjust usage fees for light commercial vehicles based on their emission values.

Two Months for Austria

In all three cases, the Commission is now sending formal letters of request. Member states have two months to respond, complete the implementation, and report it to the Commission. If no satisfactory response is received, the Brussels authority can issue a reasoned opinion in the next step of the infringement procedure.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.