Regulation (EU) 2023/955 establishing a Social Climate Fund

Ce que fait l'acte

to establish a Social Climate Fund in order to fairly spread the costs of tackling and adapting to climate change. PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: the European Green Deal launched a new growth strategy for the EU that aims to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy. The ‘ European Climate Law ’ has made the EU's climate neutrality target by 2050 legally binding. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted the report by David CASA (EPP, MT), Esther DE LANGE (EPP, NL) on the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Social Climate Fund. The proposal aims to establish a Social Climate Fund for the period 2025 to 2032 to provide Member States with funding to address the social consequences of the extension of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to road transport and construction on vulnerable households. The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows: The general objective of the Fund is to contribute to a socially fair transition towards climate neutrality that leaves no one behind, in particular by addressing the social impacts of the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and road transport in the Emissions Trading System (ETS). The specific objective of the Fund is to support vulnerable households, vulnerable micro-enterprises, and vulnerable transport users , especially those in energy poverty or mobility poverty through temporary direct income support and through measures and investments intended to: - increase energy efficiency of buildings, decarbonisation of heating and cooling of buildings, including the integration and storage of energy from renewable sources, and; - grant improved access to efficient and affordable mobility and transport, with the objective to phase out gradually and not prolong fossil fuel dependency and avoid carbon lock-in. Members established an EU definition of energy poverty and introduced a definition of mobility poverty . This definition covers vulnerable households, vulnerable micro-enterprises, vulnerable SMEs and transport users who have few or no adequate and affordable alternatives to fossil fuels in the building and transport sectors. Each Member State would be required to present a social climate plan, after consulting local and regional authorities, economic and social partners and civil society. These plans should contain a coherent set of measures to tackle energy and mobility poverty, in particular the effects of the transition to climate neutrality. Measures and investments to be included in the estimated total costs of social climate plans Temporary direct income support measures (including a reduction in energy taxes and charges) would be funded to absorb the increase in road transport and heating fuel…