Climate's enfants terribles. How new Member States' misguided use of EU funds is holding back Europe's clean energy transition
Publisher: CEE Bankwatch Network
Volume: 156 pages, pdf
Description:
Mainstreaming climate action’ into the EU’s long-term budget spending is one of the European Commission’s core mechanisms for combating climate change, and with its decision in February 2013 the European Council pledged that 20% of all EU spending for the programming period 2014-2020 should support climate objectives . In addition, the European Regional Development Fund spending rules for 2014-2020 provide for a minimum allocation to the ‘transition to low-carbon economies’, namely 20% of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in more developed regions, 15% in transition and in less developed regions (in this case including climate action allocations from the Cohesion Fund) mainly in the east and south of Europe. Apart from allocating the specific minimum amount dedicated to climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, the EU funds‘ regulations aim to establish sustainable development and climate protection as a socalled ‘horizontal principle’10 with the objective of promoting climate protection in the preparation and implementation of Member States‘ EU fund investment strategies and spending plans, their Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes.