The NPFs and national targets for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure
In accordance with Article 3 of Directive 2014/94/EU (Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive), Member States were obliged to adopt National Policy Frameworks (NPFs) and report them to the European Commission by 18 November 2016. NPFs should include national targets for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure in the respective Member State.
The Directive furthermore sets (qualitative) requirements for the roll-out of infrastructure for recharging electric vehicles in urban and suburban areas and refueling natural gas vehicles in urban and suburban areas and on the TEN-T core network. It also contains provisions for LNG infrastructure on the core network and in (inland and maritime) ports. It is largely in the discretion of Member States to set requirements for hydrogen infrastructure through the NPFs. The recitals of the Directive recommend some specific metrics for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure.
The requirements for the roll-out of infrastructure are as follows:
|
Coverage |
Timings |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Electricity in urban/suburban and other densely populated areas |
Appropriate number of publically accessible points |
by end 2020 |
|
CNG in urban/suburban and other densely populated areas |
Appropriate number of points |
by end 2020 |
|
CNG along the TEN-T core network |
Appropriate number of points |
by end 2025 |
|
Electricity at shore-side |
Ports of the TEN-T core network and other ports |
by end 2025 |
|
Hydrogen in the Member States who choose to develop it |
Appropriate number of points |
by end 2025 |
|
LNG at maritime ports |
Ports of the TEN-T core network |
by end 2025 |
|
LNG at inland ports |
Ports of the TEN-T core network |
by end 2030 |
|
LNG for heavy-duty vehicles |
Appropriate number of points along the TEN-T core network |
by end 2025 |
See also the full list of the National Policy Frameworks notified by the Member States, including an English translation were available.
Assessment of the National Policy Frameworks by the European Commission
To implement Article 10.2 of Directive 2014/94/EU, the Commission carried out an assessment of the NPFs and their coherence at Union level, including an evaluation of the level of attainment of the national targets and objectives referred to in Article 3 (1) of the Directive. The relevant Staff Working Document SWD/2017/0365 and the accompanying Member States fiches were adopted by the Commission as part of the Clean Mobility Package (Mobility package II).
These documents did not include the assessment of the NPFs of Greece, Malta, Romania and Slovenia, due to either late submission or the need for translations that would have delayed the adoption procedure. The updated Commission Report on the Assessment of the Member States National Policy Frameworks for the development of the market as regards alternative fuels in the transport sector and the deployment of the relevant infrastructure pursuant to Article 10 (2) of Directive 2014/94/EU includes the assessment of the NPFs of the above-mentioned Member States and an update of the overall assessment to reflect these new NPFs.
Reporting by the Member States on NPF implementation
According to Art. 10(1) of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive, each Member State shall submit to the European Commission a report on the implementation of its National Policy Framework on a tri-annual basis, and for the first time by or before 18 November 2019. Those Reports must contain a description of the measures taken in the reporting Member State in support of alternative fuels infrastructure build-up. The full list of the Reports notified by the Member States and received by the Commission to date is provided below, including an English translation when available.