Norwegian government collapses over energy row leaving RED II transposition hanging in the air

Disagreements over the national transposition of the fourth (aka Clean) Energy Package, which includes the Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001 (RED II) and the Internal Electricity Market Directive 2019/944 (IEMD), led to the collapse of the governing coalition in Norway on 30 January 2025. Ahead of the elections planned for autumn, the minority government led by the Labour Party may have a tough time adopting the package amid increasing pressure from the EU.The transposition of IEMD and RED II in the EU Member States was completed in 2020 and 2021, respectively. It strengthened the role of Guarantees of Origin (GOs) in the Union, as it required GOs to be used for disclosure of electricity from renewable sources and for energy supplied to consumers under contracts marketed as supplying renewable electricity, including renewable PPAs and retail contracts. If Norway were to transpose RED II into law, the legal foundation and role of GOs would also be strengthened in the country.