Brussels, 16/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - After 2013, will structural funds still be funding projects that do not comply with European climate targets? A report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry for Infrastructure and the Environment did not rule out such an eventuality and reviews Commission proposals for the 2014-2020 cohesion policy programming period from the angle of adaptation to climate change.
The report acknowledges the effort made by the Commission to ensure that climate action is part of cohesion policy priorities and in line with EU 2020 strategy objectives of 20% investment in this field. In practical terms, however, specific rules on different structural funds leave too much room for manoeuvre, without really ensuring that any binding action on climate change is necessary. Projects eligible for cohesion policy funding are more likely to mitigate climate change than really adapt to it. The report regrets that competition between these targets may arise and cites as an example the transition regions which may have to commit a minimum of 20% of their funds to investments in energy efficiency and renewable energies. According to the report, could lead to a situation where it would be quite unlikely that the remaining 80% would be included in other environmental or climate adaptation objectives.
The report also underlines the fact that it will still be possible to support, through cohesion policy, a responsible development of carbon intensive emissions. While transport projects eligible for funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (€10 billion of which will come from cohesion funds) particularly favour rail and inland waterways, it subsequently transpires that cohesion funds will in fact be subject to significant pressure to ensure that motorways and regional airports are financed through this funding too.
Under this programming, environmental inefficiency has already been identified for certain priorities financed through Cohesion Policy (denounced by Friends of The Earth Europe - FoE - and CEE Bankwatch Network, see EUROPE 10545). According to the Institute for European Environmental Policy, the Commission proposals for the 2014-2020 programming period will be likely to provoke similar difficulties. (MD/transl.fl)