The EU Court of Auditors has scrutinised the planning and implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Fund. The conclusion: the multi-billion Euro funding pot is insufficiently used for environmental objectives (climate and biodiversity). EuroNatur and its partners have been pointing out this shortcoming for years.
‘The identified weaknesses in the design and implementation of the Fund call into question the achievement of its climate and environmental objectives,’ was the conclusion of the auditors on the implementation of the measures of the support programme, also known as the COVID Recovery Fund. The EU had made 648 billion euros available to the member states to cushion the effects of the pandemic, with 37 per cent of the funds being earmarked for ‘green’ measures.
‘The European Court of Auditors confirms the criticism that we as EuroNatur have been voicing together with our partners since the planning phase of the recovery fund in 2021. From the very beginning, we have pointed out that there are significant shortcomings in transparency and control. Without clear priorities for nature and climate protection and without robust monitoring mechanisms (namely the do no significant harm principle), a significant proportion of the funding will miss its target,’ says Thomas Freisinger, Senior Policy Officer at EuroNatur.
‘The Court of Auditors' report shows that urgent improvements are needed to ensure that EU funds are used sustainably and responsibly. In light of Ursula von der Leyen's announcement to simplify the next Multiannual Financial Framework, i.e. the EU's budget for the next ten years, modelled on the Recovery and Resilience Fund, we would like to express our concerns. We urge decision-makers to fully assess the existing shortcomings of this model before it becomes a model for the EU budget,’ says Freisinger. Together with other NGOs, EuroNatur has developed concrete proposals on how the European Union can improve its funding for the protection of biodiversity.