ENFANTS TERRIBLES

GRAPH 5: Share of clean energy infrastructure of total
Cohesion Policy. Source: our own calculations based
on approved Operational Programmes according to
categories of intervention
GRAPH 6: Energy intensity of the economy 2013 - Gross
inland consumption of energy divided by GDP (kg of
oil equivalent per 1 000 EUR), CEE and EU 28 average.
Source Eurostat Code: tsdec360
14.00% 600.0
10.50%
512.7
450.0
7.00%
353.8 337.2 334.7 310.6 294.7 266.4 256.6
219.5
141.6
300.0
3.50%
150.0
0%
0.0
LT CZ HU LV SK RO PL HR EE
EE CZ SK RO LV PL LT HU HR EU28
Country Share of energy efficiency, renewables clean energy
and electricity distribution and storage investments, euro
on total ERDF, ESF, CF
LT 13,21% 886.085.548
CZ 10,57% 2.237.185.806
HU 9,45% 2.035.032.151
LV 8,25% 362.033.474
SK 6,30% 867.775.034
RO 6,27% 1.412.329.787
PL 5,49% 4.222.110.075
HR 5,16% 436.810.805
EE 4,78% 164.138.298
In addition, for the first time, a ‘climate tracking’ methodology
was introduced, attributing a coefficient for the calculation of
support to climate change objectives to each of the categories
of intervention 19 , thus allowing calculation of the total sum
of EU funds dedicated to climate action. According to this
tracking methodology, the nine CEE countries spend EUR 30.5
billion on climate action (Graph 4).
This share of funding allocated to ‘climate action’ includes
among other things the financing of measures for climate
change adaptation to limit the damage already done (or
expected damage) by climate change, as well as other
environmental protection measures and transport funding.
Investments into clean energy infrastructures such as energy
efficiency, renewable energy, smart distribution electricity
grids and electricity storage will receive little more than one
third of all climate action funding (Graph 5), around EUR 12.6
billion or 7% of all Cohesion Policy funding.
Renewables and energy efficiency are key to both tackling
climate change and eliminating fossil fuel dependency.
Electricity interconnection and smart demand management
is needed to incorporate the growing share of renewables.
Given the significantly higher energy intensity in the countries
of Central and Eastern Europe compared to the EU average
(Graph 6) and the huge investment needed to replace
the current carbon-intensive infrastructure, the planned
allocations to energy efficiency, renewables and electricity
distribution and storage appear rather unambitious. This
is a lost opportunity, particularly in regard to the multiple
benefits of investing into green energy transition: cut GHG
emissions, improve public health, decrease costly energy
19
The so called ‘Rio Marker’ values of 0%, 40% or 100% climate relevance according to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 215/2014 of 7 March 2014
14
‘Climate’s enfants terribles: how new Member States’ misguided use of EU funds is holding back Europe’s clean energy transition’