legislative process

This briefing highlights the opportunity to improve key aspects of the Connecting Europe Facility Regulation on transport to ensure better coherence with EU priorities, to move towards a low carbon and resource efficient transport sector, which is economically and environmentally sustainable. If offered concrete recommendations for Members of the European Parliament's ITRE-TRAN committee for the voting on December 18, 2012.

This briefing highlights the opportunity to improve key aspects of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) Guidelines to ensure better coherence with EU priorities, to move towards a low carbon and resource efficient transport sector, which is economically and environmentally sustainable. If offered concrete recommendations for Members of the European Parliament's TRAN committee for the voting on December 18, 2012.

Environmental NGOs strongly welcome the Common Strategic Framework (CSF) as an Annex of the Common Provisions' Regulation. It is a needed tool to ensure a proper implementation of fundamental principles and approaches of the Regulation that helps ensure that the future programmes will better contribute to reach the Europe 2020 targets, create regional green jobs, enhance economic opportunities and address environmental challenges. This briefing on the parts of the CSF which we support the most, and underlines as well several opportunities for improvements.

To reach the EU agreed climate and energy targets by 2020, the European Commission states that at least 20% of the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020 should support climate action. The Coalition for a Sustainable EU budget strongly supports this initiative and ask to increase it to 25% of the next MFF. In order to have a proper legal basis, this commitment should be included in the Negotiating Box and in the Inter-Institutional Agreement.

This comprehensive briefing offers detailed comments and suggestions on how climate action should and can be implemented and mainstreamed in the future spending period of the EU budget.

During the Cyprus Presidency the ordinary legislative procedure for adopting the regulatory framework on the future Cohesion Policy shall be concluded.

Transport is the only sector where greenhouse gas emissions are still increasing. Without decisive new action, transport GHG emissions are expected to grow by 74% until 2050. The Commission has pledged that at least 20% of the proposed €1 trillion EU budget for 2014-2020 will go towards climate mitigation and adaptation goals. This paper outlines how these commitments can be put into practice in the regulations on CEF and the TEN-T guidelines.

The Coalition for Sustainable EU Funds supports the principle of thematic concentration in the European Commission's Cohesion Policy legislative package from October 2011. However, changes brought forward by some Member States risk hampering a critical mass of investments in areas that help deliver on EU agreed targets by 2020, especially the Europe 2020 Strategy targets.

The European Commission’s legislative proposals for the future EU Budget have made some promising changes but they are not ambitious enough to meet the level of current challenges. While CAP spending still needs a radical overhaul, the proposals on the other funds need to be strengthened to ensure leadership from the EU Budget that supports a sustainable and prosperous European economy and inspires all of Europe and the world.