Directing EU Funds towards Climate Neutrality

Ensuring that Partnership Agreements on EU Funds (PAs) and National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) support the European Green Deal in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, and Latvia.

Climate Policy Climate Strategies and Plans Finance

Beitragsbild

Project info

Countries:

Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia

Project duration:

09/21 - 12/23

Target groups:

National governments, EU institutions, Civil society, Media

Funding:

799,058.82 €

Contact info

Contact:

Csaba Mezei

Implementing organisation
Partner:
  • Center of Transport and Energy
  • Clean Air Action Group (CAAG)
  • Economic Policy Institute (EPI)
  • European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
  • Focus Eco Center (Focus)
  • Green Liberty
  • Institute for Sustainable Development Foundation
  • Slatinka Association
  • Umanotera, The Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development

Ensuring that Partnership Agreements on EU Funds (PAs) and National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) support the European Green Deal in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, and Latvia.

Background

The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the Recovery Resilience Facility (RRF) define the EU’s spending priorities for periods of seven years each. Their purpose is to transfer more abstract policy goals – such as climate targets – into economic realities, for example by additional investments in public infrastructure. The 2021-2027 MFF and RRF are crucial elements of ensuring the realisation of the European Green Deal. EU Member States have been preparing proposals for Partnership Agreements on EU Funds (PAs) and National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) to inform the MFF and RRF. Yet, these documents are not sufficiently coherent with the European Green Deal and therefore prevent the targeted direction of EU funds toward climate neutrality.

Financing, Photo: ©Pixabay

Project

The project’s target group consists of representatives of national and local governments, business groups, academia, civil society organisations, and media representatives in the project countries. Project activities enable and encourage them to initiate and engage in informed debates on climate policies and EU funds. First, project members offer trainings and workshops that provide knowledge on EU funding mechanisms and their relation to climate-neutrality. Second, the project team publishes best practice reports on climate-neutral use of EU funds as well as proposals for the national Operational Programs (OPs) in the target countries. Based on these activities, the project partners disseminate their findings and knowledge across EU institutions and the European public through newsletters, online articles, and social media. Furthermore, they reach out to decision makers on European, national, and local level through personal meetings, letters, calls and presentation on events. Thus, the project team encourages them to access available and valuable knowledge and insights on climate-neutral use of EU funds and thus to contribute to implementation of the European Green Deal.

Last update: April 2024

Success Stories

A Database Bears Fruit

EUKI project ‘Directing EU funds towards climate neutrality’ gave recommendations to 98 decision makers and stakeholders in 8 participating countries on the climate-friendly spending of 240 billion EUR in total. Through analysing 58 best practices from 8 countries, the team formulated policy recommendations that reached over 75 mio. people.

Where Do EU Funds Go?

The EUKI project "Directing EU Funds Towards Climate Neutrality" operates an interactive database listing only project examples from CEE that practice efficient climate protection. Already, more than 25 entries show where money is being invested that is advancing the energy transition. Already in the first ten months, the project has reached 56 million interested parties as well as acting politicians in 8 target countries. Through the growing transparency, EU funds can be distributed more efficiently and directed to climate-effective projects.

More about this project