Member States gathering yesterday at the European Council discussed the next Multiannual Financial Framework, which sets out EU’s spending priorities after 2020. While they committed to reach a deal as soon as possible, they remained silent on how to make the long term EU budget fit for the Paris Agreement.
In its communication on the long term EU budget from 2021 to 2027, the European Commission pledged that at least 25% of it should serve climate action. This is far below what would be needed to truly implement the EU’s commitments under the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, solid safeguards to make the future budget fossil-free and fully climate proof are still lacking.
Last Tuesday, the General Affairs Council received praise from Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger for committing to accelerate the pace of the negotiations, yesterday again the only topic of concern raised by EU leaders was timeline related.
Markus Trilling, subsidies and finance policy coordinator at Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe said:
“Member States should worry less about the timeline than about the European Commission’s inconsistent level of climate action aspirations featured in its funding proposals. The Council and the European Parliament must make up for this and ensure that the EU budget becomes fully compatible with the Paris Agreement, setting ambitious and binding climate action targets aiming at a 40% quota and excluding all support to fossil fuels.”
France and Germany recently urged the EU to dedicate a significant share of its future budget to the clean energy transition, along the same lines as the French President’s call earlier this year to direct 40% of the next EU Budget to climate action. The European Parliament and Commission also recognised the green potential of the EU budget.
Markus Trilling added: “The EU must walk the talk on its increased energy targets and the need to raise its game on climate beyond 45% greenhouse gas emission cuts by 2030. A necessary step is to green EU’s financial flows and bring them in line with the Paris Agreement.”
ENDS
Contact:
Nicolas Derobert, CAN Europe Communications Coordinator, nicolas@caneurope.org, +32 483 62 18 88
Notes to editors:
The conclusions of the European Council meeting are available here.
Our assessment of the European Commission’s proposal for the EU budget 2021-2027 is available here.
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is Europe’s leading NGO coalition fighting dangerous climate change. With over 150 member organisations from 35 European countries, representing over 1.700 NGOs and more than 40 million citizens, CAN Europe promotes sustainable climate, energy and development policies throughout Europe.
