Rethink of EU budget could be a win/win situation

[mailchimp_signup][/mailchimp_signup]The ideas are presented in a report ‘Changing Perspectives – How the EU budget can shape a sustainable future’ which was launched last month. It is the first time major Brussels-based NGOs have presented a joint proposal on how money in the EU budget should be spent.

The seven NGOs – BirdLife, CEE, Conservation International, EEB, FoE, T&E and WWF – say EU money should emphasise and promote sustainability in sectors such as transport and housing. T&E has called for transport spending to target plans and projects that actively reduce greenhouse gases. The NGOs say challenges such as tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and wasting resources should be prioritised ahead of funding for unnecessary infrastructure projects and subsidising intensive agriculture.

T&E policy officer Antoine Kedzierski said: ‘EU transport spending should be less about joining up points on a map, and more about smarter ways of using existing infrastructure. There should be incentives to help member states implement congestion charging schemes or modernise existing rail infrastructure, for example. And aviation, the most carbon-intensive mode of transport, should no longer receive taxpayers’ money from the EU.’

The report can be downloaded here.