Local Alliance calls for unlocking the potential of local and regional governments in the Social Climate Fund
The Local Alliance has produced a report highlighting that the €86 billion EU Social Climate Fund (SCF) is at risk of mismanagement. The report is based on a report conducted by the coalition's member organisations, revealing widespread non-compliance with key requirements under the SCF legislation.
As part of the Local Alliance—a coalition of eight major European local and regional government networks—POLIS has contributed and wishes to call attention to a new critical report revealing that vulnerable households in the EU face the risk of being underserved by the Social Climate Fund.
The criticalities identified by the report relate to inadequate consultation of local and regional governments by national governments.
The key role of Local and Regional Governments
The report builds on a survey conducted in cities and regions across 14 Member States by the Alliance's member organisations—ACR+, CEMR, Climate Alliance, Energy Cities, Eurocities, FEDARENE, ICLEI Europe, and POLIS. The survey sheds light on an issue of widespread non-compliance with some central requirements under the SCF legislation, in particular with Articles 4 and 5.
These articles enshrine the obligation of all Member States to engage with local and regional governments in the process of developing their national Social Climate Plans. The new report produced by the Alliance, however, finds that many governments are falling short of fulfilling these prescriptions, with consultation being delayed and inadequate or even entirely written off the agenda.
The issues highlighted by the report speak of a missed opportunity for the SCF to address the local needs of vulnerable households. This opportunity will only be grasped if national decision-makers engage in real dialogue with their local governments, acknowledging that local governments are uniquely positioned to ensure that EU funds address the specific needs of their communities.
As the June deadline for submitting the Social Climate Plans draws closer, this report is an alarm bell to correct the course in due time. Meaningful consultation is not required by the SCF legislation but is also a necessary condition to ensure the effectiveness of the SCF.
The Local Alliance's recommendations
The Local Alliance urges Member States to prioritise meaningful collaboration with regional and local governments, through locally developed plans such as SECAPs and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. Only if this collaboration is secured, the Social Climate Fund will be able to effectively support vulnerable households
For more information, download the full report here.
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