Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: ČEZ is actively engaged on climate policy and exhibits policy engagement that is broadly misaligned with policy pathways for delivering the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. Despite its positive top-line statements on climate policy, the company has taken unsupportive positions on specific climate-related policies in the EU and appears to advocate for a long-term role for fossil gas in the energy mix.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: ČEZ had some positive top-line messaging on climate policy in 2023-25, but took less supportive positions on the need for climate regulation. The company supported the UN Paris Agreement in its 2023 Sustainability Report, published in March 2024, and supported greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions in line with the target of limiting warming to 1.5°C in the same report. In its 2024 Annual Report, published in April 2025, the company did not appear to support government regulation to respond to climate change, stating that the EU's European Green Deal package is putting pressure on national governments, and that political changes at EU level have not been fully reflected in Commission's approach.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: ČEZ appears to take a mix of positive and negative positions on specific climate regulations, although with limited engagement in 2023-25. According to meeting minutes with the European Commission in July 2025, ČEZ expressed preference for a single 2040 climate target, instead of separate renewable and energy efficiency targets, without clarifying the ambition level it supports. In the same meeting, it also did not specify if it supports measures that would increase the stringency of the EU ETS post-2030, and stressed the difficulties and expense stemming from the policy.
Positioning on Energy Transition: ČEZ supports a role for renewables, hydrogen and nuclear energy in the energy mix, however the company also appears to advocate for a continued role for fossil gas. The company supported the use of nuclear alongside renewables in an X post in June 2024. ČEZ supported the use of enhanced nuclear technology, although it did not take a clear position on the overall energy mix, according to meeting minutes with European Commission officials in February 2025.
However, ČEZ CEO, Daniel Beneš, also appeared to advocate for new infrastructure and other systems that will risk locking in unabated fossil gas in a March 2024 Twitter post. In a March 2024 press release, ČEZ supported switching from coal to fossil gas, without placing clear conditions on the need for CCS or methane emission abatement on the use of gas.
On hydrogen, the company supported the role of hydrogen produced from renewables and low-emissions sources for use in hard-to-abate sectors in its 2023 Annual Report published in March 2024. However, it also appeared to support hydrogen produced using fossil gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS) and nuclear energy as a substitute for hydrogen produced from renewable energy, emphasizing the threat of competitiveness loss, in an October 2024 comment to the European Commission. In the same comment, it supported the EU Delegated Act on the definition of low-carbon hydrogen, though also called for a transitionary period of 10 to 12 years.
Industry Association Governance: ČEZ disclosed a list of its industry association memberships in its 2024 Annual Report in April 2025, but it excluded its membership to the International Emissions Trading Association. The company also did not disclose an account of its industry associations' positions and engagement activities. ČEZ is a member of Eurelectric and the International Emissions Trading Association, both of which appear to be positively engaged on climate policy.
A detailed assessment of the company's corporate review on climate policy engagement can be found on InfluenceMap's CA100+ Investor Hub here.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.
In addition, CEZ is a listed company with more than 50% of its shares owned by the government of the Czech Republic. State-owned enterprises likely retain channels of direct and private engagement with government officials that InfluenceMap is unable to assess, and therefore are not represented in CEZ's engagement intensity metric.