EU budget can unlock a low-carbon Europe
Press notice
For immediate release, 3rd February 2010
The incoming European Commission must set out ambitious budget reform proposals in 2010. A more focused EU budget would help support Europe’s transition to a low-carbon economy throughout this new decade.
Independent think tank Green Alliance today publishes a new collection of viewpoints from diverse European businesses and NGOs, social organisations and think tanks. The report ‘unlocking a low-carbon Europe: perspectives on EU budget reform’ calls for concerted action to tackle together the challenges of responding to climate change and reforming the EU’s budget.
The EU budget has a crucial role to play in unlocking barriers to investment and providing renewed political and business confidence. Targeted EU budget spending can make more effective use of member state funds and leverage investment by the private sector, while the EU budget itself is a primary indicator of the EU’s political priorities. Action now will put Europe on track for future sustainable economic growth and refreshed international climate leadership.
Chris Littlecott, Green Alliance senior policy adviser, comments:
“Action on the twin challenges of climate change and EU budget reform will be defining tasks of the new terms in office of the European Commission, European Parliament, and President of the European Council.
There is now a fresh opportunity to secure a reformed EU budget that can help unlock a low-carbon Europe. All sectors and member states have an interest in responding effectively to the challenge of climate change, and this could provide the political momentum required for success on the difficult topic of budget reform.”
Further quotes from publication authors:
Pawel Swieboda, President of demosEUROPA :
“The EU budget will be an important lever in the process of making the EU a world leader in the financing of innovation, green technologies and new low carbon markets. It must provide confidence to the member states from Central and Eastern Europe that they will be supported through the low-carbon transition.”
Giles Dickson, Vice President for Government Relations in Europe, Alstom Power :
“If the EU is going to meet its climate change and energy security goals, it is essential that power generation in Europe is decarbonised: transformed to deliver only low-carbon forms of electricity. In order to deliver this a significant increase is required in the investments made from the EU budget in support of low-carbon energy technologies.”
David Orr, President of CECODHAS-Housing Europe and CEO National Housing Federation:
“Investments in improving the energy efficiency of the EU’s existing housing stock make economic, social and environmental sense. All we need now is for the EU to turn policy logic into Euros and ensure the right financial and legislative incentives are in place to support the big retrofitting drive ahead.”
David Baldock, Executive Director, IEEP :
“The EU budget needs to support the overall vision of building a low-carbon economy, providing positive impetus for investments and actions where individual member states are unlikely to move fast enough or far enough on their own.”
Arif Shah, Public Affairs Manager, Business for New Europe :
“There exists an enormous opportunity to embark upon a new era of economic growth, one that is based on the transition to a low-carbon economy. The EU is the world’s largest market, and it must have confidence in its own ability to make this transition happen.”
Jesse Scott, Programme Leader, E3G :
“The manner in which an organisation raises and spends its financial resources is a key test of its priorities and, at present, the EU fails miserably. Europe will be unable to ensure its security and prosperity unless it better aligns its resources with the challenges it faces.”
Media contacts
Chris Littlecott, senior policy adviser, clittlecott@green-alliance.org.uk direct line: +44 (0)207 7630 4516
Matthew Davis, Green Alliance media adviser, matthew@3-c.uk.net / +44 (0) 7758 300 007
Corine Meier, International Affairs Officer, National Housing Federation, CORINEM@housing.org.uk, direct line: 0207 067 1034 / +44 (0) 77 87 77 03 11.