Climate mainstreaming in the MFF 2021-2027: A simple slogan without political will?

Abstract

The European Commission is looking at cost-efficient ways to finance the transition towards a new European economic model which is more climate-friendly and less energy consuming. The delivery of the EU’s climate objectives, however, will require significant investment. The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) provides a framework for the above-mentioned efforts. It lays down the maximum annual amounts ('ceilings') which the EU may spend in different political areas ('headings') over a period of at least five years. It also allows the Union to implement common policies over a period of time that is long enough to make them effective. In line with the Paris Agreement and the commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Commission proposes to set a more ambitious goal for climate mainstreaming across all EU programmes, thus across the whole MFF, with a target of 25% of EU expenditure contributing to climate objectives, while the European Parliament has called for an even more ambitious approach. The main purpose of this article is to present climate mainstreaming and climaterelated measures under the future MFF. The author argues that it is a cause of concern that the amount of climate-related spending is still a political issue and that without the critiques from Parliament, the Commission would never have been as ambitious as it ultimately was.