The COFFIS Observatory has completed its assessment of fossil fuel subsidy inventories submitted in 2025 by members of the Coalition on Phasing Out Fossil Fuel Invencentives including Subsidies (COFFIS). The results show a sharp gap between compliance and quality: very few countries submitted inventories, but those that did largely met high technical standards.
Out of 17 COFFIS members expected to submit an inventory in 2025, only four countries made a submission. Of these, just three were considered valid inventories. Ireland achieved a perfect score of 50 out of 50, while the Netherlands and Belgium both scored 43. Spain’s submission was deemed invalid due to the absence of an actual inventory and received a score of –15.
Compared with the previous assessment round of inventories submitted in 2024, overall quality has remained consistently high, with valid submissions scoring in the 40s. However, non-compliance persists. Austria, France, and Switzerland did not submit inventories last year, compared to 2024. Denmark failed to submit in 2025 despite informing the COFFIS secretariat that it would do so in the fourth quarter of the year.
The full assessments are available on the COFFIS Observatory webpage. A summary note is available here.
Paolo Destilo, spokesperson for the COFFIS Observatory, said: “COFFIS members have committed not only to political leadership but to concrete transparency. The 2025 assessments show that when countries submit inventories, they can meet a very high standard. The problem is that too many governments are still not delivering at all. An inventory is the minimum foundation for a credible fossil fuel subsidy phase-out.”
Under COFFIS commitments, member countries are expected to submit an inventory annually, starting one year after joining the coalition, and to publish a fossil fuel subsidy phase-out plan after two years. Inventories are a prerequisite for meaningful phase-out strategies.
Looking ahead, the COFFIS secretariat, hosted by IISD, has indicated that several countries plan to release inventories in 2026. Antigua and Barbuda and the Marshall Islands expect publication in the second quarter of 2026, while Costa Rica and the United Kingdom have communicated an expected release in the first quarter of 2026.
Three COFFIS members—Canada, Finland, and Luxembourg—have yet to submit an inventory or formally communicate an expected release date, despite their COFFIS membership since 2023. Based on public sources and expert guidance, the Observatory understands that Finland, Luxembourg and New Zealand are currently working on an inventory.
Based on the 2025 assessments, the COFFIS Observatory reiterates several core recommendations to governments:
- Base inventories on the WTO definition of subsidies and include monetary values.
- Where monetary values are not yet available, submit documents as progress reports rather than inventories.
- Publish fossil fuel subsidy datasets in accessible formats, such as .xlsx files.
- Host inventories and supporting information on government or government-affiliated websites.
Finally, the Observatory recommends using the Santa Marta Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels (28–29 April 2026) to announce inventories and phase-out plans.
Destilo added: “It is also time for Belgium and Ireland to move towards implementation. They demonstrate a good understanding of their national fossil fuel subsidy landscape. We expect them to present phase-out plans soon.”
During 2026, the COFFIS Observatory will update its inventory assessment methodology, integrating new insights from IISD’s A Step-by-Step Guide for Governments to Prepare Fossil Fuel Subsidy Inventories. Inventories submitted in 2026 will be assessed under the updated methodology (version 3.0).
