Spending 60% of the EU’s key infrastructure fund on contributing to climate objectives – as proposed by the European Commission today – will ensure smarter and cleaner spending, green NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) has said. The Connecting Europe Facility would have €42.3 billion to co-finance investments including €30 billion for transport, as part of the draft 2021-2027 EU budget just published.
Receive them directly in your inbox. Delivered once a week.
Funds allocated to electricity transmission, electricity storage, smart grids, and renewable energy would be considered to be 100% “climate spending”, as would rail investment and clean urban transport. There would also be incentives for so-called “synergy” projects that impact more than one of the following sectors: transport, energy and digital. This could accelerate investment in smart charging, smart grids, and energy storage.
Samuel Kenny, freight policy officer at T&E, said: “The focus of the Commission’s spending plan is exactly right: smart electromobility powered by clean, renewable electricity. Combined with national but also private spending, this plan can help build the infrastructure needed to make the e-mobility revolution happen in Europe.”
However, gas will also be eligible for EU funding and be counted towards the climate spending goals, under the proposal. A 2016 T&E study showed gas vehicles have no meaningful climate benefits compared to conventional vehicles. The report also found biomethane can be a good low-carbon fuel but should be focused on local or regional solutions as it cannot be produced sustainably at the scale required for widespread use.
Samuel Kenny concluded: “It’s worrying that some within the European Commission still seem to think the EU needs to help the gas industry create a market for CNG and LNG vehicles. That makes no sense at all from a climate, air quality or energy security point of view and is, frankly, a waste of public money.”
T&E's annual overview of key transport trends, challenges and achievements
European transport is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, but electric vehicles are on the charge as the EU’s green policies start to bite. Powerin...
State of European Transport report shows that transport emissions are starting to fall as the EV market grows, but carbon savings are being undermined...
If we want peace, we need to end our reliance on oil, writes T&E's William Todts