Green spending appears on EU budget radar - it must stay there, say environment groups

Brussels, Belgium -- The latest EU budget 2014-20 negotiating text, published today by President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, contains the first sign of hope for a future EU budget that tackles climate change and helps support a sustainable future for Europe’s 500 million people, according to CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe.

Contained in today’s text, the so-called ‘negotiating box’ for the multi-annual financial framework (MFF), is the appearance for the first time of a 20 percent spending figure for ‘climate mainstreaming’ across all sectors of the MFF. [1] Based on an original proposal from the European Commission, Bankwatch and Friends of the Earth Europe believe that this figure ought to be increased to 25 percent given the scale of the climate, economic and environmental challenges currently facing the EU member states.

Markus Trilling, EU funds coordinator for Bankwatch and Friends of the Earth Europe, said:

“Not before time, and with just over a week to go until the crunch EU budget summit, 20 percent green spending is now firmly on the EU budget radar. Even in the darkest hours of the upcoming negotiations member states should keep sight of the importance of green spending and push for an increase to 25 percent.

“President van Rompuy’s latest proposal announces around EUR 75 billion in overall cuts, but at last we are seeing a firm commitment to quality EU budget spending appearing on the table.

“The jobs that can flow from greener EU spending, not to mention the economic and climate benefits that will result from increased investments in energy efficiency and Europe’s developing renewable energy sector, are major wins that member states can not afford to lose sight of.”

Stanka Becheva, food and agriculture campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe, said:

"Although it’s positive that in this latest proposal 30% of the direct payments Brussels makes to farmers are subject to environmental conditions, these conditions still need to be defined to truly deliver a new, green future for agriculture. This can only happen with binding EU-wide measures for all countries."

For more information, contact:

Markus Trilling
EU Funds coordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe
Tel: +32 (0) 484 056 636
Email: markus.trilling AT bankwatch.org

Notes for editors:

1. Paragraph 10 of today’s MFF ‘negotiating box’ text reads as follows:

“The optimal achievement of objectives in some policy areas depends on the mainstreaming of priorities into a range of instruments in other policy areas. Climate action objectives will represent at least 20% of EU spending in the period 2014-2020 and therefore be reflected in the appropriate instruments to ensure that they contribute to strengthen energy security, building a low-carbon, resource efficient and climate resilient economy that will enhance Europe's competitiveness and create more and greener jobs.”

Full text available via:
http://www.euractiv.fr/economie-et-finance/les-propositions-de-van-rompu...

See also the ‘Well Spent EU’ map and video clip illustrating how EU Cohesion spending can work for the environment and people, available at:
http://www.wellspent.eu/