03 November 2025

The National Social Climate Plans are the key to access the €86.7 billion Social Climate Fund by 1 January 2026. These plans aim to support vulnerable groups ahead of the introduction of the new Emissions Trading System for transport and heating (ETS2) in 2027.

4The report analyses the social climate plans of 19 Member States and, on this basis, formulates important recommendations for the national level:

• Prioritise empowering reforms and investments (e.g., worst performing buildings, energy communities)
• Ensure broad public participation and set up national monitoring/coordination committees to oversee the SCP’s implementation
• Target beneficiaries with multiple criteria, going beyond income
• Ensure coherence between the SCP and other national strategies (e.g., National Building Renovation Strategy), and top up the SCP with additional funds (e.g., ETS1).