An EU budget to address the climate emergency – 15 October 2019

Published by Emma ERNSTH at 3 October 2019

The EEB is bringing together civil society and EU institutions to discuss how EU money should be used to help boost green projects rather than pollution.

The EU budget– or Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) – is still being negotiated and some key decisions that will affect how EU funds drive climate change mitigation are still open. Our full-day event, organised in cooperation with other NGOs, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), sought to get clarity over relevant political and financial discussions.

In the morning, the conference explored how the EU budget can be used to address the climate emergency and respond to public concerns following scientists’ demands for climate action – most recently expressed in the ‘green wave’ at the EU elections. The conference combined:

A political debate on how the future EU budget could respond to the climate crisis;
A session exploring lessons from past EU spending and governance, as well as spelling out future needs;
A panel debate on what actions can be launched, what windows of opportunity remain, and how the EU institutions and civil society can work together to respond to the climate crisis.

In the afternoon, a capacity building workshop built on the morning conference and brought together civil society organisations from different countries to gather feedback and recommendations on the topic.