Netherlands

The Netherlands falls five places to 10th in this year’s CCPI but maintains an overall high rating. The country receives a high rating in GHG Emissions and a medium in Renewable Energy, Energy Use, and Climate Policy.

The Netherlands maintains its overall climate targets of reducing GHG emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050, as set by the previous government. However, the CCPI national experts question whether these goals will be met, noting that implementation has been problematic and that climate policies have stagnated, or even weakened, since the government under Prime Minister Dick Schoof took office in July 2024.

Grid expansion needed to take advantage of new solar and wind energy, while agriculture pollution remains problematic

Domestic gas production has declined sharply following the closure of the Groningen gas field in April 2024. However, limited new exploration projects in the North Sea are underway, mainly to replace more carbon-intensive gas imports. The experts criticise the introduction of additional fossil fuel subsidies. Solar and wind energy have expanded rapidly in the Netherlands in recent years and the experts stress that an increase of the grid infrastructure is needed to keep up with this expansion. They note that offshore wind tenders function effectively, yet expansion plans have been scaled down. They also are concerned about growing public resistance to new solar installations.

As one of the world’s largest exporters of agricultural products, the Netherlands faces high levels of nitrogen pollution and agricultural GHG emissions. The CCPI country experts criticise that the agricultural sector is largely excluded from climate policies.

New political direction may affect domestic and international stances

In international climate policy, the Netherlands largely follows EU directives, and the CCPI experts describe its stance as passive and regressive in global negotiations. However, this role, as well as the country’s domestic climate commitments, could change, as the government collapsed in June 2025 and the snap elections in October 2025 may lead to a new political direction.

The CCPI country experts recommend that the Netherlands prioritise insulation as a growing number of households live in energy poverty, strengthen policies in all energy use-related sectors, stop fossil fuel subsidies, and ramp up climate policies on agriculture.

Key Outcomes

CCPI experts

The following national experts agreed to be mentioned as contributors for this year’s CCPI:

• Lisanne Boersma (WISE Nederland)
• Kornelis Blok (Delft University of Technology)
• Sible Schöne