Strengthening environmental protection in EU Structural Fund support II

The aim of EU Cohesion Policy, also known as EU Structural or EU Regional Policy, is to reduce disparities in the level of development and living conditions of the various regions of the EU and to strengthen the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the Union as well as to support sustainable development. With 392 billion EUR, almost one third of the EU budget in the period 2021–2027 flows into this policy area and thus constitutes the most important investment policy of the EU.

The aim of the research project was on one hand to analyse which opportunities and approaches for promoting environmental protection, nature conservation, resource conservation, climate protection and climate adaptation as well as sustainable development are available at the EU level in the funding period 2021–2027 and how these opportunities are used in Germany. The focus was on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Just Transition Fund (JTF) as the most relevant funds from an environmental and climate perspective. 

On the other hand, in the sense of practical policy advice, the project was intended to help expand the possibilities for promoting environmentally, nature and climate-friendly as well as sustainable development within the framework of Cohesion Policy and its benefits both at the EU level and in Germany. 

The report is in German with an extended summary of 3 pages in English.