Climate change impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016

Policy context
EU Adaptation Strategy — Objective 2: better informed
decision-making
The EU Adaptation Strategy promotes better informed
decision-making by addressing gaps in knowledge
about adaptation through various channels.
• Climate-ADAPT, the European Climate Adaptation
Platform ( 16 ), aims to support Europe in adapting
to climate change and helps users to access and
share information on, for example, current and
future vulnerability of regions and sectors, national
and transnational adaptation strategies, case
studies, potential adaptation options, and tools
that support adaptation planning. Currently, it
contains more than 1 500 adaptation resources
in its database, as well as adaptation information
relevant to all EU policy sectors, information on
countries' adaptation policies and actions, and
information on EU funding sources. The platform
is continuously updated. In 2015, information on
urban adaptation was improved in collaboration
with the Mayors Adapt initiative. In addition,
links with relevant other platforms including
transnational, national and local adaptation
portals are continuously improved. In the future,
information from research projects and from
climate services (including the Copernicus climate
change service ( 17 )) will also be enhanced.
• Horizon 2020 ( 18 ), the EU Framework Programme
for Research and Innovation, aims to dedicate 35 %
of funds to climate-related research, including
adaptation. The programme addresses knowledge
gaps such as those identified in the EU Adaptation
Strategy, including the development and testing
of decision-making support tools, monitoring
systems for adaptation, resilient infrastructures,
and the integration of climate change adaptation
in sectoral research (health, water, etc.) (see also
Chapter 7).
• Currently the Copernicus climate change service,
the EU programme on observations and climate
services to support climate change policymaking,
is under development with the operational service
scheduled to start around 2018.
EU Adaptation Strategy — Objective 3: climate-proofing
common EU action — promoting adaptation in key
vulnerable sectors
• In the European Multiannual Financial Framework
(2014–2020), the EU has agreed that at least 20 % of
its budget for 2014–2020 — as much as EUR 80 billion
— should be spent on climate change-related action,
including in development cooperation programmes.
In order to facilitate Member States' efforts in
programming, principles and recommendations
regarding the integration of adaptation into common
EU funding instruments have been prepared ( 19 ).
Climate change mitigation and adaptation actions
receive more than EUR 114 billion from European
Structural & Investment Funds (ESIFs), of which
almost half — about EUR 56 billion — comes
from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural
Development. The European Regional Development
Fund and the Cohesion Fund also make a significant
contribution of about EUR 55 billion collectively.
The allocated amounts cover 25 % of the overall
ESIF budget, thus supporting the overall objective of
allocating at least 20 % of the EU's overall budget for
climate action (see above) (EC, 2015).
• Under the requirements of the Water Framework
Directive (EC, 2000), Member States were due to
present River Basin Management Plans by December
2015. These plans will be assessed by the European
Commission and the results of the assessment will
be published at the latest by the end of 2018. Climate
change considerations and adaptation strategies will
be looked at both in the plans and in the definition of
the programmes of measures. The Floods Directive
(EC, 2007) required Member States to carry out
a preliminary assessment by 2011 to identify the
river basins and associated coastal areas at risk of
flooding. For such zones, Member States needed
to draw up flood risk maps by 2013 and establish
flood risk management plans focused on prevention,
protection and preparedness, and report these by
March 2016. Climate change should be taken into
account. The European Commission will assess these
plans and report on the results by the end of 2018 at
the latest.
• One of the main objectives of the EU Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2014–2020 is to promote the
sustainable management of natural resources and
climate action. The CAP integrates environmental
( 16 ) http://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu.
( 17 ) http://www.copernicus.eu; http://www.copernicus.eu/main/climate-change.
( 18 ) http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020.
( 19 ) These principles and recommendations have been prepared for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, for programmes and investments
of Cohesion Policy and for rural development programmes; see http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/adaptation/what/documentation_en.htm.
54 Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016 | An indicator-based report