ENFANTS TERRIBLES

emissions. On the other hand, selection criterion 4.1. Project
impact on horizontal principle sustainable development
which promotes Green Public Procurement, would be a
good practice to implement also in other project selection,
although it is not done so far (see section Sustainable
Development Horizontal Principle). If we look at EU Cohesion
Policy investments in the transport sector as a whole, then
the impact on climate change would appear different due
to huge investments in one mode, namely roads. Road
quality in Latvia has been given strategic priority. The
indicative actions under these specific objectives reveal that
investment may increase traffic intensity and flow on the
roads:
• Development of new trunk roads.
• Development of routes ensuring effective interlinking
of separate parts of cities and interlinking with
elements of the European communications network
(alternative cargo road construction, reconstruction
or modernisation).
• Reconstruction of main national motor roads within
the TEN-T network, reinforcement of the carrying
capacity of the surface, at the same time improving
road traffic safety.
The description of sustainable development as a horizontal
principle in the Partnership Agreement and the Operational
Programme explicitly explains the investments’ impact
on water quality and improving waste management, but
it does not show whether investments in the transport
sector, particularly in the development of roads, will support
climate change objectives or not, and the GHG impact
remains neglected. The proposed activities in the Operational
Programme do not provide evidence that the EU Cohesion
Policy investments in the transport sector will reduce the
GHG emissions from the sector.
74
‘Climate’s enfants terribles: how new Member States’ misguided use of EU funds is holding back Europe’s clean energy transition’