The ‘Green Deal Goes Local’ Working Group is calling for greater clarity on green spending in the next EU budget

Members of the CoR’s ‘Green Deal Goes Local’ Working Group have called on the EU institutions to ensure that climate, energy and environmental priorities are properly integrated into the EU’s next long-term budget, so as to support the clean transition at local and regional level. This was the main topic discussed at their meeting on 25 March. The working group’s chair, Markku Markkula (FI/EPP), a local councillor in Espoo, emphasised that the current energy crisis confirms the need to continue investing in energy independence and resilience to climate change.

The European Commission’s proposal for the EU’s next multiannual budget (2028–2034) sets an overall target of 35% of spending across the various programmes on climate-related measures. This would amount to over €700 billion to support these environmental objectives. However, members of the ‘The Green Deal Goes Local’ working group have lamented the lack of a specific programme focused on sustainability and climate action and accessible to local and regional stakeholders, such as LIFE, in the current multiannual financial framework (MFF).

National and regional partnership plans, which combine funds for both regional development and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP),
would be the key tool for supporting local communities and businesses in the clean transition. Whilst 43% of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) is intended to contribute to the green budget, members of the working group have expressed doubts about the feasibility of this target in various sectors, such as agriculture, and warned against the risk ofgreenwashing.

These concerns were shared by MEP Cristina Guarda (IT/Greens/EFA), rapporteur on strengthening rural areas in the EU through cohesion policy. Guarda lamented the lack of clear indicators to support rural development, as well as the absence of measures to address the growing impacts of climate change. For his part, Radim Sršeň (CZ/EPP), CoR rapporteur on the future of rural development 2028, highlighted the need for tailor-made solutions for each region that respect environmental criteria.

The MFF proposal also includes the so-called ‘do no significant harm’ principle to ensure that EU-funded activities do not undermine climate objectives, and aims to simplify the tracking of expenditure related to climate action and environmental protection. However,Luca Menesini (IT/PES), CoR rapporteur for the new Regulation on the performance framework, warned that this could increase bureaucracy for local and regional authorities. He also called for a greater focus on the qualitative nature of indicators, as overly rigid qualitative measurements risk lowering the level of ambition for green policies.

The CoR’s Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) will adopt its draft opinion on the energy and climate aspects of the next MFF at its next meeting on 22 April. The rapporteur is Rafal Trzaskowski (PL/EPP), Mayor of Warsaw.

Members of the ‘Green Deal Goes Local’ Working Group also exchanged views on the EU Urban Agenda with CoR rapporteur Kieran McCarthy (IE/EA) and representatives from Eurocities and the Covenant of Mayors. They also adopted the ‘Green Deal Goes Local’ Working Group’s roadmap for 2026–2027 following a discussion with experts from the Joint Research Centre.

More information: European Committee of the Regions.