The European Commission yesterday said it has sent a letter of formal notice to Ireland and 18 other member states who had failed to submit their draft NBRPs to the Commission by the deadline of 31 December 2025.

Climate, energy and environment minister Darragh O’Brien last month said officials in his department were continuing to work on Ireland’s NBRP.

In a statement, the European Commission said: “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.”