Greening the Cohesion Policy: Efficient investments to deliver sustainable prosperity and jobs

Cohesion Policy plays an important role in steering local economies towards sustainability. Green investments however still remain limited in the Commission’s proposal for a reformed Cohesion Policy - a missed opportunity as it stands now. This NGO briefing suggest solutions strengthen the proposal in order to achieve the fundamental energy and environment targets for 2020.

The reform of the Cohesion Policy represents a huge opportunity for Europe to move to an economy in social and ecological balance, strengthening local economies, creating new jobs and supporting innovative approaches in all regions across Europe in the coming decades. Much needs to be done to avoid perverse investments that in the past have often intensified the pressure on the environment: e.g. 54% of transport infrastructure funding goes to roads and airports, increasing GHG emissions or harming ecosystems.