THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
EU Cohesion Policy: leaving no one behind in the green transition We need to achieve a green but just and fair transition
by Marc Lemaître, Director-General, DG for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission, Brussels
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limate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. European Commission President von der Leyen has chosen climate and environment-related challenges as the top priority of her mandate, setting up the European Green Deal [https://bit.ly/3skvzFS]. The EU’s main investment policy for local and regional development, the EU Cohesion Policy [https://bit.ly/3e2uJsp], will massively contribute to the European green transition, making sure no one is left behind in the process.
Green Deal and Cohesion Policy The European Green Deal is the new growth strategy that aims to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy. With the aim to achieve EU climate neutrality by 2050, the European Green Deal provides a roadmap for a transition across all sectors of the economy, such as transport, energy, agriculture, buildings and industry. It also highlights the need for a longterm transformative change. Thanks to the long-term EU budget and #NextGenerationEU, [https:// bit.ly/3tpppWg] unprecedented investments in green solutions and sustainable practices will propel the transformation across all sectors.
These investments must ensure that the climate-neutrality transition takes place across territories, and that all EU regions benefit from it. EU Cohesion Policy is a key instrument to deliver the goals of the European Green Deal on the ground, in all regions and cities. The policy is expected to contribute with more than €100 billion to climate and environment related projects over the 2021-2027 EU budget period. During the current EU programming period 2014-2020, Cohesion Policy funds are already contributing with more than €55 billion investments in climate action.1 Cohesion policy also has the advantage of galvanising its strong pan-European network of local and regional decision-makers, who are the real implementers of the green transition on the ground and in every corner of the continent.
A green, just and fair transition While all regions will require funding for the green transition, the transformation will affect some territories more than others. This is particularly true for regions and territories highly dependent on fossil fuel mining and use, as well as highly carbon-intensive activities. Fossil fuel mining and exploration will face a significant decline and highly-carbon intensive industries will undergo a deep transformation. Regions and territories that strongly depend on these activities will need to restructure their industries, ensure through new economic activities that this restructuring will not bring negative socio-economic effects on the
Policy is “EUa keyCohesion instrument to
deliver the goals of the European Green Deal on the ground.”
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