Climate spending in the 2014-2020 EU budget: Not as high as reported

The EU committed to spending at least 20 % of its 2014-2020 budget on climate action (mitigation and adaptation). The Commission announced that the EU met the target, with €216 billion reported in climate spending for this period. The European Court of Auditors found that the reported spending was not always relevant to climate action and climate reporting was overstated overall. They estimated that it was overstated by at least €72 billion.

Despite the planned improvements in 2021-2027 climate action reporting, challenges remain. The recommendations aim to enhance climate reporting and to link the EU’s budgetary contribution to its climate and energy objectives.