March infringements package: key decisions on energy

In its regular package of infringement decisions, the European Commission pursues legal action against Member States for failing to comply with their obligations under EU law. These decisions, covering various sectors and EU policy areas, aim to ensure the proper application of EU law for the benefit of citizens and businesses.

In the list of March infringements, there are 3 energy-related letters of formal notice.

Letters of formal notice

Commission calls on Austria and Romania to submit missing information in their integrated national energy and climate reports
The European Commission decided to open infringement procedures by sending a letter of formal notice to Austria (INFR(2026)2034) and Romania (INFR(2026)2033), as they still have not submitted all the information required in their integrated national energy and climate progress reports (NECPRs) that were due by 15 March 2025. Pursuant to Article 17 of the Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action (Regulation (EU) 2018/1999), Member States are obliged to report every two years to the Commission on progress achieved towards the implementation of their integrated national energy and climate plans (NECPs) through the NECPRs. By 15 March 2025, Member States were due to report their progress towards implementing their NECPs for the period 2021-2030, and notably towards their objectives, targets and contributions across the five dimensions of the Energy Union (decarbonisation, energy efficiency, internal energy market, energy security, research innovation and competitiveness). The precise requirements of the content of these reports are set in various articles of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 as well as in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/2299 and in the European Climate Law (Regulation (EU) 2021/1119). The submission of the NECPRs is considered complete when all the required information is provided. The NECPRs are crucial as they demonstrate how the national governments are delivering on their energy and climate objectives, as expressed in their integrated national energy and climate plans, across all dimensions of the Energy Union. They are essential for the Commission to track the Union's progress towards its common targets. Given that Austria and Romania have not complied with their obligation by the legal deadline, the Commission decided to send them a letter of formal notice, asking them to submit their complete NECPR without undue delay. These Member States now have two months to respond. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

Commission calls on Member States to submit their draft National Building Renovation Plans due under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
The European Commission decided to open infringement procedures by sending a letter of formal notice to Belgium (INFR(2026)2014), Czechia (INFR(2026)2016), Germany (INFR(2026)2017), Estonia (INFR(2026)2019), Ireland (INFR(2026)2023), Greece (INFR(2026)2020), France (INFR(2026)2021), Italy (INFR(2026)2024), Cyprus (INFR(2026)2015), Latvia (INFR(2026)2026), Luxembourg (INFR(2026)2025), Hungary (INFR(2026)2022), Malta (INFR(2026)2027), the Netherlands (INFR(2026)2028), Austria (INFR(2026)2013), Poland (INFR(2026)2029), Portugal (INFR(2026)2030), Slovakia (INFR(2026)2032) and Sweden (INFR(2026)2031) as they failed to submit their draft National Building Renovation Plan (NBRP) to the Commission by the deadline of 31 December 2025. The NBRPs are an essential and strategic tool for Member States to transform their building stock into a high-performing, energy-efficient, decarbonised asset by 2050. By creating predictable renovation pipelines and clear long-term trajectories, these plans will underpin full implementation of the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/1275) and give the necessary investment stability and predictability. These plans are instrumental to improve buildings' energy performance and thus contribute to lower energy bills. Timely submission of the draft plans allows the Commission to effectively assess each Member State's strategy, ensuring that the finalised plans are comprehensive, actionable, and aligned with the updated national and EU climate and energy targets. The Commission now asks the Member States concerned to submit their draft plans without further delay. These Member States have two months to respond to the letters of formal notice. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

Commission calls on Belgium to comply with the obligation to notify the amended and updated risk preparedness plan in the electricity sector
The European Commission decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Belgium (INFR(2026)2036) regarding the missing notification of the amended risk-preparedness plan and the missing notification of the draft updated risk-preparedness plan in accordance with the Regulation (EU) 2019/941 on risk preparedness in the electricity sector. The risk-preparedness plan ensures maximum preparedness in the electricity sector and should be established to avoid a disruption of electricity supply or mitigate its effects. It shall set out all measures that are planned or taken to prevent, prepare for and mitigate electricity crises. Electricity crises can occur for many reasons, for example due to extreme weather conditions, malicious attacks or fuel shortages. Where crisis situations occur, they often have a cross-border effect. Large-scale incidents, such as cold spells, heat waves or cyberattacks can affect several EU countries at the same time. Risk-preparedness plans are based on regional and national crisis scenarios, ensuring that in the event of a crisis, electricity is directed to where it is needed most. Belgium has not notified its amended risk-preparedness plan since the receipt of the opinion issued by the Commission on 3 November 2022 on its first plan, nor has it notified any objections to the Commission assessment. In its opinion, the Commission requested changes to enhance Belgium's energy security architecture to make it more robust. Belgium is also the only Member State that has not submitted, according to the Regulation, its updated draft risk-preparedness plan, which was supposed to be made available for consultation to the competent authorities of the Member States and to the Electricity coordination group six months before the deadline set in the Regulation for the new final plans (5 January 2026). Member States have to adopt and publish their updated risk-preparedness plans every four years, counting from the first one that was due by 5 January 2022. The Commission now asks Belgium to comply with the Regulation without delay. Belgium has two months to respond to the letter of formal notice. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

For more information on the EU infringement procedure, see the full press release and Q&A. For more detail on the history of a case, you can consult the infringement decisions' register.