Hardwiring climate action into the next research and innovation programme

A recently published letter puts pressure on Commissioners Moedas and Oettinger


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Publication date

April 12, 2018

Last March, 14 Member States have pressed for at least 20% of the EU’s post-2020 budget (“Multi-annual Financial Framework” – MFF) to be spent on climate-relevant work, while the European Parliament is pushing for a 30% share.

One of the programmes within the MFF will be Framework Programme 9 (FP9), supporting research and innovation. Together with other organisations, we wrote a letter to Commissioners Moedas and Oettinger. We want this programme to have at least 35% of its budget devoted to climate-related work.

In the years since the last MFF was adopted, climate has gained a much prominent position in the political agenda, especially after the Paris Agreement in 2015. 

The current research programme, Horizon 2020, with its 35% earmarking, allowed the Commission to spend more on clean energy R&D. Cities and their networks were able to actively contribute to the fight against climate change, also thanks to the support granted by this programme. But much more is still to be done.

The new impetus behind climate action must be hardwired into the design of the next research and innovation programme. We need more effort to decarbonise transport as well as heating and cooling, to reduce the cost of renewable energy, to boost energy efficiency and to optimise the energy system as a whole.

Let’s make sure the next research programme will allow for an effective climate action!

Read the full letter