The role of gas in the recovery and resilience plans

Briefing    |    31 May 2021

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This briefing analyses plans for gas investments in the recovery plans of eight central and eastern European countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia). It reveals that most contain gas investments, such as gas boilers (the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland); a gas pipeline (Bulgaria); gas-based district heating (the Czech Republic); gas-based transport (the Czech Republic); and the possible development of fossil fuel-based hydrogen (Bulgaria, Poland and Romania). Such proposals in favour of expanding the role of gas in the EU do not comply with the objectives of the European Green Deal, nor with the International Energy Agency’s recent call for the immediate end to financing fossil fuel projects, and the EU should not use recovery funds to finance these measures.