Source: European Parliament
The Commission considers that tackling environmental issues and strengthening competitiveness deserve the highest attention. This is highlighted in the Mission Letters to the Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth[1] and the Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy[2] by improving Europe’s natural capital, protecting the natural world, boosting the circular economy and ensuring water resilience are intrinsic parts of the EU priorities, from climate change, security, competitiveness or food security and sovereignty.
As indicated in the Commission Communication on ‘The road to the next multiannual financial framework’[3], further efforts are needed to achieve a true policy-based budget to ensure synergies between EU policies and the financial action of the EU. The next long-term budget should focus on objectives where EU action is mostly needed, including investment to support competitiveness and to achieve the EU’s climate and environmental goals.
The planned European Competitiveness Fund[4] will offer strong support to innovative industries for sustainable investment and a one-stop-shop simplified access to EU funds. Moreover, the ambition of the Clean Industrial Deal is to make the EU the global leader on circular economy by 2030, and to use financing as a business driver.
The ‘green toolbox’ designed to support green policies across the whole EU budget includes the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle, which all EU programmes must take into account, wherever relevant and possible, under the EU Financial Regulation[5].
- [1] https://commission.europa.eu/about/organisation/college-commissioners/wopke-hoekstra_en
- [2] https://commission.europa.eu/about/organisation/college-commissioners/jessika-roswall_en
- [3] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=celex:52025DC0046
- [4] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0030
- [5] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L_202402509