EU Budget We need a greener EU budget for a better future for Europe

Europe must not subsidise dirty energy

16 May 2013

Negotiations to agree on how part of the EU budget for 2014-20 will be spent are set to conclude this month. Friends of the Earth Europe, alongside BirdLife Europe, CEE Bankwatch Network and WWF is warning against using part of the EU budget for oil, coal and gas subsidies – undermining Europe's efforts to bolster environmental protection and deliver more sustainable economic gains.

19 February 2013

Citizens' awards for better EU spending

Today, 27 citizens’ projects from eight Central and Eastern European countries were awarded for their winning ideas for how EU funds could be well spent on sustainable and environmentally friendly local initiatives. The award ceremony, hosted by CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe, and opened by Elisabeth Schroedter MEP, highlighted that EU money doesn’t need to only support massive infrastructure projects.

8 February 2013

EU summit: No axe for climate spending, but member states must deliver

A summit in Brussels on the EU budget for 2014-2020 concluded today with an unambitious commitment for 20 percent of EU spending to go towards tackling climate change. CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe called on member states' governments to build on this with national spending plans that ensure quality outcomes that work for Europe's people and environment. [1]

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The budget of the European Union amounts to hundreds of billions of euros of investments for implementing European policies. Its impact on development inside and outside Europe is significant. But taxpayers’ money is not delivering what it could and should for the citizens of Europe.

Friends of the Earth Europe takes action to reform the EU budget. The budget should promote the transition towards a just society that guarantees the well-being of citizens in a globally responsible way, within the ecological limits of the planet.  

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CEE Bankwatch Network

Reports & publications

3 Jul 2012

Off Their Game - The Green 10's Mid-Term Review of the European Commission's Environmental Track Record 2010-2012

8 Feb 2012

Investing for the future: More jobs out of a greener EU Budget

More reports & publications

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  • Markus Trilling
    • Agriculture

      Food and farming in Europe and its global impacts

    • Agrofuels

      Plant-based fuels from agriculture. Also known as biofuels

    • Biodiversity

      Species and habitat protection in Europe and around the globe

    • GMOs

      Genetically modified crops and organisms

    • Land

      Measuring Europe’s land footprint and tackling the drivers of land grabbing

    • Biodiversity

      Species and habitat protection in Europe and around the globe

    • Extractive industries

      Oil and gas exploration, and mining

    • Land

      Measuring Europe’s land footprint and tackling the drivers of land grabbing

    • Materials and waste

      Reducing, reusing and recycling resources

    • Resource use

      Europe’s consumption of land, materials, water and carbon

    • Shale gas

      Unconventional gas and the extraction process known as ‘fracking’

    • Tar sands

      Unconventional oil. Also known as oil sands

    • Water use

      Measuring Europe’s water footprint