The national ambassadors of the Member States to the EU will discuss the contours of the Social Climate Fund again on Wednesday 22 June, and then, in principle, on 24 June to try to reach a political agreement (general approach) on 28 June at the ‘Environment’ Council, which is what the French Presidency of the EU Council is hoping for.
The discussion they held on 17 June on this subject did not prove conclusive and confirmed the persistence of a number of concerns, for example on the fund’s mode of governance and the clear link with the future ETS2 (which aims to extend the greenhouse gas emission rights regime to the construction and road transport sectors), on direct aid to households or on the co-financing rule, as the French compromise text proposed to abolish national contributions, which led to opposition.
“A number of countries said they could not support this text”, a source reported on 20 June, adding that Member States’ starting positions had not really changed. “More work is needed”, says a second source.
The discussion also covered other aspects, such as the next Multiannual Financial Framework (post-2028) and own resources, which gave rise to many questions, as well as the duration of the Fund and the country allocation key.
Poland expressed its opposition to a fund that would be linked to the ETS2 at a very early stage, while the question of the distribution key for the Fund’s aid is more of a concern highlighted by countries such as Portugal, Malta and Cyprus (see EUROPE 12914/11). In any case, Friday’s discussion has not yet resulted in any significant progress towards an agreement.
The European Parliament, for its part, will confirm on 22 June, during the mini-plenary, its agreement reached in committee on the contours of this fund (see EUROPE 12955/16). (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)