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[Article] Climate impacts of EU funds concealed in EU’s latest Cohesion Report
(May 31, 2007)
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Commenting on yesterday's publication of the EU's Fourth Cohesion Report, Martin Konecny, campaigner on EU funds for CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe said: "The Fourth Cohesion Report is the first one which acknowledges that climate change could undermine Europe's cohesion by further aggravating regional disparities in Europe. Yet it keeps totally silent about the EU funds' own contribution to fuelling climate change, while boasting about their contribution to economic growth.
"The fact – not even mentioned in Danuta Huebner's report – is that the four countries which received by far the most EU funds per capita over the past 15 years – Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Ireland – also witnessed by far the greatest increases in greenhouse gas emissions in the EU over the same period. EU funds have subsidised an energy-intensive type of development and the danger is that the same pattern will be repeated in central and eastern Europe in the 2007-2013 period.”
"EU funds could play a positive role in the fight against climate change, but only if they were systematically directed towards energy efficiency, renewable energy and low-emission transport. But we don't see this happening."
A recent analysis by CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe showed that the EU funding plans of the new member states for 2007-2013 are on a collision course with EU climate goals as they feature remarkably little in the way of clean and efficient energy and transport. [1]
A particularly worrying example is Poland, which is to receive almost one- fifth of the total EU funds budget in 2007-2013: the Polish national strategy for the use of EU funds envisages a 30 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 2013 compared to 2004. [2]
Yet the European Commission has now approved the Polish strategy – in spite of NGO warnings that it directly contradicts the conclusions of the EU Spring Council, which agreed new targets for greenhouse gases, energy efficiency and renewables by 2020 and called for reviewing EU funds in line with EU climate change objectives. [3]
Notes
[1] The report "EU cash in climate clash" and related press release are available from the Bankwatch website.
[2] Page 77 of the Polish National Strategic Reference Framework 2007-2013 as approved by the European Commission on 7 May (in Polish):
[3] European Council Conclusions, 9 March 2007.
"The fact – not even mentioned in Danuta Huebner's report – is that the four countries which received by far the most EU funds per capita over the past 15 years – Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Ireland – also witnessed by far the greatest increases in greenhouse gas emissions in the EU over the same period. EU funds have subsidised an energy-intensive type of development and the danger is that the same pattern will be repeated in central and eastern Europe in the 2007-2013 period.”
"EU funds could play a positive role in the fight against climate change, but only if they were systematically directed towards energy efficiency, renewable energy and low-emission transport. But we don't see this happening."
A recent analysis by CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe showed that the EU funding plans of the new member states for 2007-2013 are on a collision course with EU climate goals as they feature remarkably little in the way of clean and efficient energy and transport. [1]
A particularly worrying example is Poland, which is to receive almost one- fifth of the total EU funds budget in 2007-2013: the Polish national strategy for the use of EU funds envisages a 30 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 2013 compared to 2004. [2]
Yet the European Commission has now approved the Polish strategy – in spite of NGO warnings that it directly contradicts the conclusions of the EU Spring Council, which agreed new targets for greenhouse gases, energy efficiency and renewables by 2020 and called for reviewing EU funds in line with EU climate change objectives. [3]
Notes
[1] The report "EU cash in climate clash" and related press release are available from the Bankwatch website.
[2] Page 77 of the Polish National Strategic Reference Framework 2007-2013 as approved by the European Commission on 7 May (in Polish):
[3] European Council Conclusions, 9 March 2007.
CEE Bankwatch Network gratefully acknowledges EU funding support.