Climate and biodiversity proofing the EU Budget

The need to better integrate climate change and biodiversity considerations into the EU Budget has been recognised in the form of two IEEP-led projects commissioned by DG Environment and DG Clima.

The project for DG Clima aims to climate proof expenditures under Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It will look at spending practices under these funds and assess the sustainability of investments with regards to the threats from climate change. The project will therefore assess the costs and benefits of different adaptation options within specific policy fields funded through Cohesion Policy or the CAP. These findings will feed into the development of revised technical guidance documents, assemble information on capacity needs and gaps, and provide a platform for strengthening stakeholder interaction.

The project for DG Environment is a background study to identify biodiversity proofing objectives and tools, and develop a framework to avoid or mitigate the negative impacts of EU funding on biodiversity. The main objective is to define an approach, screen and analyse a selection of the most important EU funds, and identify expenditure patterns which are particularly harmful for biodiversity. The study will bring forward a range of tools that can help to minimise negative biodiversity impacts across the whole cycle of programming and implementation of EU funds for the next financial period 2014-2020.

Both projects will play a significant role in developing further the concepts of climate and biodiversity proofing, as well as providing the evidence base for their appropriate application in EU funds. As such they will play a key role in the ongoing discussions on how to phase out environmentally harmful subsidies in the EU.

Both projects are due to conclude in summer 2012.

Contacts:
Climate proofing – Peter Hjerp
Biodiversity proofing – Sonja Gantioler