Source: European Parliament
Greece’s climate law sets the objective of reaching climate neutrality by 2050 (see trajectory in Figure 1) and of delivering a 55 % reduction of net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 compared with 1990. Greece accounted for 2.3 % of the EU’s net GHG emissions in 2023, and achieved a net emissions reduction of 48.5 % from 2005 to 2023, greater than the EU average reduction of 30.5 % over the same period. Emissions from sectors under the EU emissions trading system (ETS) fell by almost two thirds. Greece’s land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector has functioned as a moderate carbon sink throughout the 2005-2023 period. For the effort-sharing sectors, Greece has consistently overachieved its targets. Greece’s national recovery and resilience plan, amended with a REPowerEU chapter, dedicates 38.2 % of investment to the green transition. Greece submitted a draft updated national energy and climate plan (NECP) in November 2023. The European Commission assessed it and made recommendations for the final updated NECP, which was submitted in January 2025. In a 2023 survey, 44 % of Greeks, compared with an EU average of 46 %, identified climate change to be one of the four most serious problems facing the world. Most expect national government (74 %), the EU (73 %) and/or business and industry (73 %) to tackle climate change. Less than a third find it to be a personal responsibility. This briefing is one in a series covering all EU Member States.