FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG – INCLUSIVE ENERGY TRANSITION IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE and biannual energy and climate reports as well as develop long-term strategies for greenhouse gas emissions reduc­tions for the following thirty years. The measures set out in these documents would then contribute to the achievement of the collective EU targets for ten-year periods. if policies are to work and be accepted. A new pact is needed to bring together citizens in all their diversity, with national, regional, local authorities, civil society and industry working closely with the EU’s institutions and consultative bodies. THE EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL AND THE FIT FOR 55 PACKAGE The European Commission which took office in 2019 con­tinued to work toward a more ambitious 2030 target, thus complementing and continuing the work set by the Clean Energy for all Europeans package. In December 2019 the Commission presented the European Green Deal, 28 a strate­gy that aims to: transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of green­house gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use. It also aims to protect, conserve and enhance the EU’s natural capital, and protect the health and well-being of citizens from en­vironment-related risks and impacts. 29 The EU aims to be climate neutral in 2050, which means that the Clean Energy for All Europeans targets are not sufficient. Therefore, the Commission proposed the European Climate Law, to turn political commitment into a legal obligation – and to increase the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction target to 55 per cent by 2030. This Law entered force on 29 July 2021 and replaced the Governance Regulation. In order to achieve these additional greenhouse gas savings, more ambition on renewable energy and energy efficiency targets is also needed, and therefore in July 2021 the Com­mission published the Fit for 55 Package, a set of proposals to revise and update EU legislation such as the Renewable Energy Directive and Energy Efficiency Directive. These pro­posals are still under discussion at the time of writing, but are likely to require updates to the NECPs and national 2030 targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, renewable energy and energy efficiency. The European Green Deal is very clear about the need for the transition to be inclusive in various ways, not only for workers, and with the public playing a much wider role than simply paying the bills: ...this transition must be just and inclusive. It must put people first, and pay attention to the regions, industries and workers who will face the greatest challenges. Since it will bring substantial change, active public par­ticipation and confidence in the transition is paramount However, with the dizzying speed of EU policy changes in recent years, this will be increasingly challenging. Such changes are much-needed to increase the EU’s ambition and the likelihood of preventing catastrophic climate change, but make it harder and harder for the public to fol­low and participate. This makes it especially important for countries to maximise their ambitions to avoid being forced to make frequent pol­icy changes; however, the southeast European EU Member States have generally taken the opposite approach, doing the minimum possible to comply with EU requirements – and sometimes not even that. THE ENERGY COMMUNITY TREATY TRANSITION FRAMEWORK The Western Balkan countries, as parties to the Energy Com­munity Treaty and as prospective EU members, are also hav­ing to run ever-harder to catch up with the EU. Yet they are currently in a state of limbo. The year 2020 has passed and their renewable energy and energy efficiency targets are no longer valid. And until now, apart from their Nationally De­termined Contributions under the Paris Agreement, they have not yet been obliged to set greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets. New targets are planned, but have been delayed while waiting for a study commissioned by the Eu­ropean Commission. A recommendation to start preparing NECPs was made by the Energy Community Ministerial Council in November 2018, 30 and an adapted version of the Governance Regula­tion – assumed to contain binding deadlines – was adopted at the Ministerial Council meeting on 30 November 2021. 31 As of early December it is not yet available to the public. The countries have responded differently to such delays. Some, like North Macedonia and Kosovo, moved fast to start on their NECPs, while Serbia was the last country to start work. NECP development is one of the variables monitored by the Energy Community Secretariat in its WB6(Western Balkans Six) Energy Transition Tracker, which is published every six months. 32 The June 2021 edition shows a certain amount of stagnation, though Serbia has finally set up a working group and started working on the modelling. 28 European Commission, Communication from the Commission – The European Green Deal, 11 December 2019. 29 Ibid. 30 Energy Community Ministerial Council,‘Recommendation 2018/01/ EnC-MC’, November 2018. 31 Energy Community, 19th Ministerial Council, 30 November 2021. 32 Energy Community Secretariat, WB6 Energy Transition Tracker. 12