On the occasion of today's "Fit for 55" vote in the plenary of the European Parliament on the Emissions Trading Scheme, the CO2 border adjustment mechanism and the Social Climate Fund (The Social Climate Fund was adopted with 521 votes in favour, 75 against and 43 abstentions), Henrike Hahn, Member of the European Parliament (The Greens/EFA), Deputy Speaker and Industrial Policy Spokesperson of the European Group, Rapporteur for the opinion on the Climate Social Fund in the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, comments:

"The "Fit for 55" package goes straight to the heart of European climate policy and competitive industrial policy. Europe is taking a historically important step with the 'Fit for 55' package - even if we Greens would have liked to see even better results.

For the very first time we have a Social Climate Fund. And finally, for the first time in the EU, we are not just talking about poverty, we are acting against poverty - energy and mobility poverty.

As Greens, we have always been clear that the green transition must also be just and not increase inequalities. That's why we need this new Social Climate Fund, to help those who need it most and enable them to make a structural change.

The Social Climate Fund will promote measures for more efficient buildings, as well as support low-emission mobility and low-income households and small businesses.

The Social Climate Fund has been allocated a budget of 86.7 billion euros, to which the member states will contribute 25 percent - a significantly lower amount than the European Commission's original proposal of 144.4 billion euros, 50 percent of which was to be financed by the member states. That is around 40% less than the European Commission had called for. Let alone that we proposed a 25% increase in the overall budget in the opinion of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.

We can't sugar-coat it - these are not enough funds to create a fair and socially acceptable balance in Europe. The final funding for Social Climate Fund is a drop in the bucket. We need to fight energy and mobility poverty in Europe decisively with long-term solutions and the right structural investments. The current agreement on the Social Climate Fund is just a start in the fight against energy and mobility poverty in Europe."

 

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