DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 23 November 2023
Calendar 24/11/2023
President Ursula von der Leyen in Canada: participates in the EU-Canada Summit.
Cssr Stella Kyriakides in Nicosia, Cyprus: delivers a speech at the European Seniors' Union Conference at the University of Nicosia.
Commission shares good practices to further enhance cooperation on EU asylum procedures among Member States
The Commission is presenting today a set of good practices to ensure the effectiveness of the Dublin III Regulation, which had been announced by President von der Leyen earlier in June as part of the implementation of the Dublin Roadmap.
In her letter to Member States, ahead of the European Council of February 2023, President von der Leyen committed to the full implementation of the Dublin Roadmap, which had been developed by the Commission and endorsed by Member States in November 2022. The Dublin Roadmap sets out practical actions aiming to reduce the incentives for secondary movements through improved cooperation among Member States.
Today, in the ‘Dublin Roadmap in action - Enhancing the effectiveness of the Dublin III Regulation: identifying good practices in the Member States', the Commission identifies a number of good practices as having a positive outcome on the functioning of the Dublin procedure. These include:
The document presented today also includes an Annex providing a compilation of the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding the interpretation of the Dublin III Regulation, with a view to ensuring a swifter application of the Dublin rules in Member States, by ensuring a higher level of harmonisation in the Member States' interpretation of these rules.
Over the past year, Member States have, on the basis of the Dublin Roadmap, engaged in various initiatives with the support of the Commission to increase the efficiency of Dublin procedures. To support Member States in their efforts, in April 2023, the European Union Agency for Asylum presented Recommendations on Dublin transfers.
Next Steps
The good practices identified in this document will be discussed in the next meeting of the Dublin Contact Committee on 4 December. The Commission will continue to support the Member States in achieving all the objectives set in the Dublin Roadmap. To this end, the Commission will regularly update this document and continue the evaluation and monitoring of the implementation of the Dublin Roadmap within the Contact Committee on the Dublin III Regulation.
The New Pact on Migration and Asylum proposed by the Commission in September 2020 includes a series of tools to make the Dublin system more effective, notably as part of the proposal for an Asylum and Migration Management Regulation, which is currently being negotiated by the co-legislators. The Commission stands ready to continue working with the European Parliament and the Council to ensure agreement on the Pact by the end of this legislative mandate, in line with the Joint Roadmap.
Background
The Dublin Roadmap, endorsed by the Member States in November 2022, foresees a concrete timeline for the improvement of transfers under the Dublin III Regulation in all Member States. The implementation of the Dublin Roadmap so far has led to more flexibility among Member States in organising Dublin transfers of asylum seekers. In parallel, the EU Agency for Asylum has been supporting Member States in assessing the concrete situations of asylum-seekers in Dublin transfers.
Following the Contact Committee meeting on the Dublin III Regulation on 16 March 2023, the Commission organised several bilateral meetings with the Member States to better understand the challenges that they are facing, as well as to identify, among measures taken, potential good practices to ensure the swift and adequate implementation of the measures foreseen in the Dublin Roadmap.
The Commission is also adopting today a Recommendation for increased cooperation between Member States when responding to serious threats to internal security and public policy in Schengen area.
For More Information
Dublin Roadmap in action – Enhancing the effectiveness of the Dublin III Regulation
Dublin Roadmap (Council publication)
Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (proposal)
State of Play New Pact on Migration and Asylum – factsheet
EUAA factsheet
Schengen Recommendation
Quote(s)
We will continue to support Member States to improve the implementation of transfers today, whilst we keep on pushing for a new and improved system for tomorrow. This is key to managing migration and ensuring an efficient and fair system.
Vice-President Margaritis Schinas - 23/11/2023
Managing migration is a shared responsibility. We need to work together with all Member States to make sure that we cooperate in the best possible way and that we learn from each other. More effective Dublin transfers can only benefit both the applicant and also the transferring and the responsible Member States. This is why today, we are adopting good practices to enhance the effectiveness of the Dublin III Regulation.
Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs - 23/11/2023
Commission calls on Member States to step up Schengen cooperation
Today, the Commission is adopting a Recommendation for increased cooperation between Member States in the Schengen area. It is accompanied by a report on the consultations carried out by the Schengen Coordinator with Member States in relation to long-lasting internal border controls. A formal consultation process was carried out between May and November 2023 with the Member States that reintroduced border controls as well as those Member States affected by those controls.
Schengen is the area without controls at internal borders that underpins freedom of movement for more than 425 million EU citizens, along with non-EU nationals living in or visiting the EU. Reintroducing border controls must remain exceptional, strictly limited in time and a measure of last resort if a serious threat to public policy or internal security has been established. Free movement of people, goods and services must be ensured in the Schengen area. As stated in the 2023 State of Schengen report, there is a need to increase cooperation to ensure security, while phasing out long lasting border controls.
Today's Recommendation promotes the use of alternative measures to internal border controls as well as increased cooperation and information exchange in the event of reintroduction of such controls in eight areas:
Next steps
The Schengen Coordinator will continue to support and engage with Member States and it would be important for them to closely cooperate in the implementation of this Recommendation.
The Schengen Coordinator will also regularly report on this matter in the Schengen Council.
This Recommendation takes as a starting point the Commission Recommendation on police checks and cross-border police cooperation of 2017. It also reflects the recent case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union security threats without reverting to internal border controls. The Recommendation is accompanied by a Staff Working Document, which reflects the formal consultation process with Member States that was announced in the State of Schengen Report of 16 May 2023. The consultation involved Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland.
To prevent unathorised movements and strengthen Member States' cooperation on managing migration, the Commission also presented today another Staff Working Document ‘Dublin Roadmap in action' outlining best practices from Member States in the application of the Dublin III Regulation. This Regulation determines the Member State responsible for reviewing asylum applications. These best practices are built on the Dublin Roadmap endorsed by Member States in November 2022. The report sets out the practical actions aiming to facilitate timely and effective transfers of asylum seekers to all Member States, reducing unauthorised movements.
Report on the formal consultation state of Internal Border Controls
Commission Recommendation cooperation between Member States to address serious threats to internal security
2023 State of Schengen Report
Schengen, Border and Visa
Dublin Roadmap in action - Enhancing the effectiveness of the Dublin III Regulation: identifying good practices in the Member States
Schengen is the jewel in Europe’s crown – one of the most emblematic achievements of European integration – and long-lasting internal border controls undermine its raison d’être. Whilst we work on the reform of Schengen’s governance, Member States need to work together to help prevent threats related to terrorism, migrant smuggling and unauthorised movements across the Schengen area whilst mitigating the impact on the Schengen area as a whole.
Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life - 23/11/2023
The reintroduction of internal border controls has an impact on the exercise of the freedom of movement, the functioning of the Single Market and on the existing socio-economic links in cross-border regions. With this Recommendation, we are taking another step to ensure that this remains a measure of last resort and applied only with the cooperation of all Member States involved.
Commissioner Johansson hosts the EU-Türkiye High-level Dialogue on migration and security
Today, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson is hosting in Brussels the second EU-Türkiye High-level Dialogue on migration and security.
Together with the Turkish Minister of Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, they will discuss the state of play on shared priorities regarding migration management and security. Discussions will cover efforts including irregular migration, border management, the fight against migrant smuggling and visa application processes. They will also address security aspects, such as combatting organised crime and drugs, counterterrorism, and radicalisation.
The EU continues to engage with Türkiye to promote the full and effective implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement and the EU-Turkey readmission agreement.
This was also reflected in the Eastern Mediterranean Action Plan presented by the Commission in October. Its aim is to address migration management along this route through targeted operational measures.
(For more information: Anitta Hipper - Tel.: +32 2 298 56 91, Fiorella Boigner – Tel.: +32 2 299 37 34)
Commission allocates support of over €50 million to Greek and Slovenian farmers affected by natural disasters
Today, the European Commission presented its proposal for a support measure worth €51.7 million to directly support Greek and Slovenian farmers affected by natural disasters. Coming from the agricultural reserve 2024, €43.1 million will be allocated to Greece and €8.6 million to Slovenia.
In August, Slovenia recorded extraordinary amounts of rainfall and torrential storms that resulted in landslides and floodings. Meanwhile, throughout August and September, Greece faced unprecedented wildfires, followed by severe floodings, severely affecting the agricultural landscape in the impacted regions.
The significant damages caused by those events to agricultural producers and the resulting loss of income for the affected farmers in Greece and Slovenia endanger the economic viability of agricultural holdings.
The amounts presented today, take into account the assessments of agricultural damage by Slovenia and Greece, along with the respective weight of these two countries in the EU's agricultural sector, on the basis of their shares of CAP direct payments. Additionally, the need to keep sufficient resources available within the agricultural reserve to address potential crises in the remaining months of 2023 and in 2024 was also considered.
The national authorities of Greece and Slovenia will directly distribute the aid to farmers to compensate for economic losses, with payments expected to be made by 31 May 2024. Both countries will have to notify the Commission about the implementation details including the criteria for aid calculation, the intended impact of the measure, its
evaluation, and actions taken to avoid distortion of competition and overcompensation. The two countries can complement this EU support up to 200% with national funds.
The Commission's draft measure, including the principles and methodology for granting support, will be discussed in a transparent way with Member States, who will vote on the implementing Regulation at a meeting of the Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets on 30 November. If approved, it will be adopted and enter into force rapidly so that Greek and Slovenian national administrations can implement it without delay.
In June 2023, the European Commission already allocated €15.8 million and €1.2 million to Greece and Slovenia respectively. These funds came from the agricultural reserve 2023, which aims to support Member States affected by adverse climatic events and macroeconomic challenges in the period up to 31 January 2024.
Supporting Slovenia and Greece in climate change adaptation and risk prevention is a key priority of the 2014-2020 and 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy programmes. For Slovenia, over €92 million was committed to flood protection in the 2014-2020 programmes and following a recent programme amendment, funds were re-allocated to the purchase of equipment for a rapid response to the floods. The Slovenian authorities have committed an additional €109 million to flood risk investments in the 2021-2027 programmes.
For the period 2014–2020, Greece earmarked €325 million for investments related to climate change adaptation measures and risks, and in the current programming period, earmarked an additional €727 million specifically for the prevention and management of flood risks.
Member States can also apply for funds through the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) based on a damage assessment submitted within 12 weeks of the date of the first damage. Both Slovenia and Greece submitted their applications for EUSF support, which are currently being assessed by the Commission.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027 includes an agricultural reserve of at least €450 million per year to cope with market disruptions or exceptional events affecting production or distribution. The agricultural reserve 2023 was allocated in full to the benefit of all Member States who have experienced crises of different nature and magnitudes. Since the 2024 agricultural financial year started on 16 October 2023, support measures funded by the agricultural reserve 2024 can already be tabled.
In addition to funds from the agricultural reserve, the CAP provides several possibilities to help farmers affected by natural disasters. Direct payments represent a permanent safety net. Funds from rural development can also be used to restore damaged agricultural assets and production potential. For Greece, €57 million of Union contribution are currently available to support restoration of agricultural potential and around € 40 million for restoration of forests. Moreover, the Greek CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 includes €100 million for the prevention and restoration of forests damaged by forest fires, natural disasters and catastrophic events. Greece is expected to submit an amendment which aims, among others, to increase risk management tools supported by CAP funding.
The Slovenian CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 and its Rural Development Programme 2014-2022 also contain interventions for rehabilitation and restoration of forests following natural disasters and adverse climatic events, as well as investments in restoration of the production potential in permanent plantations after the natural disasters and catastrophic events.
The Commission stands ready to assess and approve as quickly as possible any amendments to their CAP Strategic Plans that Greece and Slovenia would consider submitting.
CAP Strategic Plans
We have proposed to mobilise the agricultural reserve to express our solidarity to Greek and Slovenian farmers who have suffered from catastrophic events. As the magnitude and frequency of crises are increasing, we also need to better use the resources available in the CAP plans to reinforce farmers' resilience, from risk management tools to investments, knowledge transfer and cooperation.
Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner for Agriculture - 23/11/2023
Report on CAP covering the 2023-2027 period highlights shift towards a sustainable EU farming model
Today, European Commission's report confirms the important role of CAP Strategic Plans for maintaining farmers' income and food security, while supporting EU agriculture's transition to a sustainable farming model in the 2023-2027 period.
The report analyses the intended impact of the Strategic Plans for delivering on the goals of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027, particularly those linked to environment, climate and societal expectations such as animal welfare.
The report confirms that the CAP Strategic Plans aim to deliver the most ambitious CAP ever from an environmental and climate perspective.
The report also points out the need to reinforce prevention and risk management tools and strengthen approaches to climate adaptation.
For the 2023-2027 period, the CAP is supported by €307 billion of which 264 billion from the EU budget, and an additional €43 billion from national funds. About 2500 interventions have been designed in the 28 CAP Strategic Plans submitted by Member States and approved by the European Commission. Today's report relies on the information contained in these Plans as well as on qualitative appraisal of the potential effects of the choices made by Member States.
A fairer distribution of farm income
Overall, CAP Strategic Plans show a significant joint effort to support farm income, ensure a fairer distribution to smaller farms and reduce income disparities in the most vulnerable sectors and disadvantaged areas. There is also an increased joint effort to modernise farms and strengthen the sector's competitiveness.
On average, agricultural income is only 45% of the average wage in the economy, with variations between different agricultural sectors and farming systems. In 2020, CAP support accounted for 23% of EU farm income on average. It proves key to maintain agricultural activity and jobs in remote rural areas, slowing down land abandonment and rural depopulation. A strong and resilient farming sector is a prerequisite for a stable supply of food, one of the CAP's historical objectives, which remains as relevant as ever today.
More than 10% of EU direct payments, representing €4 billion annually, will be reallocated through redistributive payments benefitting small and medium-sized farms. This payment has more than doubled compared to the previous period. The ageing of farmers represents another challenge to safeguard long-term food security and rural livelihoods. The Commission welcomes that the Plans will support 377 000 young farmers in setting up in agricultural activity. This is an increase in almost all Member States who also go beyond the minimum financial allocations required.
A greener EU agriculture sector
To receive full CAP payments, farmers must respect an enhanced set of requirements and standards for the environment, climate, health, animal welfare, and decent working conditions. This principle of conditionality applies to close to 90% of the utilised agricultural area in the EU and plays an important role in mainstreaming sustainable farming practices.
The Plans allocate 32% of the total CAP budget to voluntary actions advancing the environmental, climate and animal welfare objectives. The largest financial contribution comes from eco-schemes and environmental and climate commitments under rural development, with €44.7 billion and €33.2 billion respectively. The flexibility granted to Member States in designing these tools allowed them to target specific needs in their national or regional contexts and exploit their complementarities.
For example, Portugal, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece and Slovenia plan to promote organic fertilisers as an alternative to synthetic ones. Germany supports both investment and maintenance aid for agroforestry. Finland has a scheme for winter cover to protect soil while Spain offers extra funding for sustainable grazing and mowing practices on pasture to reduce soil degradation and improve biodiversity. One Polish eco-scheme provides significant support for better living conditions of livestock.
Overall, the Plans show potential to contribute to climate mitigation, especially through significant efforts on practices for carbon sequestration and storage in soil and in biomass. Overall, 35% of the EU's farmland should benefit from actions for both carbon sequestration and reduction of nitrous oxide emissions. There is also progress on protection of sustainable management of natural resources, with substantial efforts on soil protection, with voluntary practices covering 47% of EU farmland.
In terms of the EU Green Deal 2030 ambitions, the Plans willcontribute to reaching the target of 25% of EU agricultural area farmed organically. By 2027, an estimated 10% of the EU's farmland should receive CAP support for organic production, up from 5.6% in 2020. Complementary national initiatives on market development and public procurement will help to achieve the overall target.
Drawing lessons
The report also acknowledges areas for which the Plans collectively could have showed higher level of ambition or pursued more optimal approaches. For example, considering increasing occurrence of extreme weather events and a world marked by crises and disruptions, the Commission calls for further reinforcement of risk management tools and their increased uptake across the Union. Despite the growing efforts, only about 14% of all EU farms are expected to benefit from such CAP support. The report acknowledges that Member States may not always use CAP funding for this purpose and apply nationally funded insurance schemes instead. Proactive measures to address underlying causes of crises and to increase farm resilience in the medium term are also needed.
In its assessment, the Commission also notes that further efforts are needed so that more farms adopt digital technologies and innovation. Similarly, the broad range of needs for advice, training and knowledge exchange will not be met by the planned financial allocation so far. The report notes the same challenges for rural communities. LEADER, a 'bottom up' approach, in which rural businesses, local organisations, public authorities and individuals from different sectors work together, accounts for 7.7% of the total EU rural development funds.
Finally, the Commission stresses in the report that the CAP Strategic Plans are not the only tool necessary to contribute to the Green Deal, Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategy ambitions and address the many associated challenges. Complementarity with other EU and national funds is key to achieve their overall impact. For example, generational renewal, antimicrobial resistance, and socio-economic needs of rural areas cannot be fully addressed without mobilising other national measures and EU funding, like EU cohesion funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
The report is one element in the broader process of assessing the performance of the current CAP. Additional information will come from implementation data and assessment of the new delivery model in 2025, annual performance reports and the interim and final evaluation in 2026 and 2031, respectively. In line with its transparency and monitoring requirements, the European Commission provides detailed information on all Plans online with a summary of all Plans, a catalogue of CAP interventions and dashboards on result indicators and financial allocations.
Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: “Summary of CAP Strategic Plans for 2023-2027: joint effort and collective ambition”
28 CAP Strategic Plans at a glance
Summary overview of the approved 28 CAP Strategic Plans, Facts and Figures
Mapping and analysis of CAP Strategic Plans. Assessment of joint efforts for 2023-2027
Executive summary of the mapping and analysis of the CAP Strategic Plans
Factsheet
Agri-food Data Portal – CAP Indicators
New Common Agricultural Policy: set for 1 January 2023
CAP Strategic Plans are the key tools for delivering a strong, performance-oriented CAP by ensuring a stable supply of food, safeguarding income for farmers and keeping rural areas vibrant. In addition, they are central to supporting farmers in the transition to a more sustainable future. Strong engagement by farmers is essential to ensure the policy delivers on its objectives. Preliminary assessments show large applications for support, including voluntary schemes. I praise the work done at all levels to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. I am confident that the new CAP will deliver on all its objectives.
Commission launches first European Hydrogen Bank auction with €800 million of subsidies for renewable hydrogen production
The Commission launched today the first auction under the European Hydrogen Bank to support the production of renewable hydrogen in Europe, with an initial €800 million of emissions trading revenues, channelled through the Innovation Fund. Producers of renewable hydrogen can bid for support in the form of a fixed premium per kilogram of hydrogen produced. The premium is intended to bridge the gap between the price of production and the price consumers are currently willing to pay, in a market where non-renewable hydrogen is still cheaper to produce.
The Hydrogen Bank complements other policy tools to build a market for renewable hydrogen, stimulate investments in the production capacity, and bring production to scale. Renewable hydrogen has a critical role to play in Europe's future energy mix, in particular for the decarbonisation of heavy industry and some transport sectors, replacing fossil fuels. By enabling a faster rollout of innovative hydrogen technologies the pilot auction will contribute to the REPowerEU Plan goal to produce 10 million tonnes of hydrogen domestically by 2030.
Under the pilot auction, producers of renewable hydrogen, as defined in the Renewable Energy Directive and its Delegated Acts, can submit bids for EU support for a certain volume of hydrogen production. The bids should be based on a proposed price premium per kilogram of renewable hydrogen produced, up to a ceiling of 4.5€/kg. Bids up to this price, and which also comply with other qualification requirements, will be ranked from the lowest to the highest bid price and will be awarded support in that order, until the auction budget is exhausted. The selected projects will receive the awarded subsidy on top of the market revenues that they generate from hydrogen sales, for up to 10 years. Once projects have signed their grant agreements, they will have to start producing renewable hydrogen within five years.
Cumulation with other types of aid from participating Member States will not be possible, to ensure a level playing field for all projects regardless of location. This will prevent fragmentation at the early stages of the European hydrogen market and reduce administrative costs for upcoming national hydrogen support schemes.
Auctions-as-a-Service
The Commission is also offering a new “Auctions-as-a-service” mechanism under the Hydrogen Bank. This will enable Member States to finance projects which have bid in the auction, but not been selected for Innovation Fund support due to budget limitations. This allows them to award national funding to additional projects on their territory, without the need to run a separate auction at national level, reducing the administrative burden and cost for all parties. Member States' participation in the ‘Auctions-as-a-service' scheme is voluntary, and project developers must also express their interest in it during their application to be eligible. The scheme could play a significant role by preventing the segmentation of the market and incentive schemes.
Any support offered by Member States through this service will be considered as State aid. They must notify their support to the Commission, and will benefit from a streamlined approval process, as the auctions are designed at the EU level in line with the Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy.
Bidders have until 8 February 2024 (17:00 CET) to apply via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Project promoters are strongly encouraged to consult these frequently asked questions when preparing their proposals and to engage with a financial institution as soon as possible concerning their completion bonds.
An Info Day will take place online on 30 November, providing an opportunity for project applicants to ask questions to the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), which will implement the auction. Innovation Fund National Contact Points also organise Info Days in most Member States.
Applicants will be informed about evaluation results as early as April 2024 and sign the Grant Agreements within nine months after the call closure.
The pilot auction will allow the Commission to collect reliable data about the EU's renewable hydrogen project pipeline, the level of competition for this kind of support, the costs of renewable hydrogen production, and its market price. The Commission will use lessons from the pilot scheme to inform future auctions that could be developed for other decarbonisation technologies and products. The Commission intends to launch a second round of auctions in 2024.
With an estimated budget of €40 billion from the EU Emissions Trading System between 2020 and 2030, the Innovation Fund is the EU's largest funding programme for the deployment of innovative net-zero technologies. The Innovation Fund has also opened its 2023 call for proposals today with a €4 billion budget available for cutting-edge low-carbon technologies in various sectors.
The European Hydrogen Bank was announced by President von der Leyen in her State of the European Union address in 2022 to support the EU's domestic hydrogen production and imports from international partners of renewable hydrogen. It aims to unlock private investments in the EU and in third countries by addressing the initial investment challenges and needs, closing the investment gap and connecting future renewable hydrogen supply to consumers.
Auction for renewable hydrogen production under the Innovation Fund
EU Funding and Tenders Portal (application for the Auction)
Auctions-as-a-Service concept note
Auction FAQ
Innovation Fund 2023 Auction Info Day
European Hydrogen Bank
Innovation Fund
Today’s launch is about connecting supply and demand for renewable hydrogen. It is about creating transparency about price points, which will help kickstart a European hydrogen market. In turn, this will help accelerate the EU’s clean energy transition while maintaining our competitiveness and preserving Europe’s position as a leading global economic power. We are hoping for a positive response from the market, and also from Member States who are considering taking part in ‘Auctions-as-service'. The European Hydrogen Bank is a great opportunity to support European industry’s net-zero transition.
Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President for European Green deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight - 23/11/2023
Hydrogen is going to be a key technology to decarbonise Europe’s industry and help deliver our 2030 and 2050 climate targets. Today’s first EU-wide auction for renewable hydrogen production sends a clear signal that Europe is the place to invest in renewable hydrogen production, and in hydrogen-based industries. Developing a solid hydrogen market in the EU will make us more competitive, offer new growth opportunities to industry, and provide quality jobs for European companies and citizens.
Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate Action - 23/11/2023
Commission opens €4 billion call for proposals for net-zero technologies under the Innovation Fund
The Commission is today opening the Innovation Fund's 2023 call for proposals with a record budget of €4 billion to support the deployment of innovative decarbonisation technologies. The call is funded by revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), underlining the importance of carbon pricing for the green transition. The Commission has increased the overall funds available, and doubled the budget allocated for cleantech manufacturing projects compared to the previous call. €1.4 billion are available to strengthen industrial manufacturing capacity, technology leadership, and supply chain resilience in Europe.
Project promoters may apply for grants under five topics with distinct budget and capital expenditure (CAPEX) requirements:
Projects will be assessed based on their potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, their degree of innovation, maturity, replicability and cost efficiency. The Innovation Fund can cover up to 60% of a project's relevant costs. Projects located in the EEA are eligible to apply, and following the recent revision of the EU ETS Directive the Innovation Fund calls are now also open to the maritime, road transport and buildings sectors, in addition to technologies in energy-intensive industries (including aviation), renewable energy or energy storage. Promising projects that are not sufficiently mature for a grant or not selected for funding due to budget limitations may benefit from the European Investment Bank's Project Development Assistance (PDA).
Project promoters have until 9 April 2024, 17:00 (CET), to apply via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the IF23 Call Info Day, which will take place online on 7 December 2023. This event is an opportunity to learn about the new features, discover the application process and ask questions to the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), which implements the Innovation Fund's calls for proposals. Innovation Fund National Contact Points also organise Info Days in most Member States.
Applicants will be informed about evaluation results in the fourth quarter of 2024. Successful applicants will sign grant agreements in the first quarter of 2025.
With an estimated revenue of €40 billion from the EU Emissions Trading System between 2020 and 2030, the Innovation Fund aims to create financial incentives for companies and public authorities to invest in cutting-edge low-carbon technologies and support Europe's transition to climate neutrality. The Innovation Fund has already awarded about €6.5 billion to more than 100 innovative projects through its previous calls for proposals.
Today, the Innovation Fund also opens the first pilot auction under the European Hydrogen Bank, with an €800 million budget available for project developers in the EEA. Projects cannot combine support from the Innovation Fund call and the European Hydrogen Bank pilot.
Question & Answers
Innovation Fund announces two upcoming calls for proposals
Results of previous Innovation Fund calls for proposals
Innovation Fund projects portfolio
Innovation Fund projects dashboard
The success of the European Green Deal depends on our ability to innovate and decarbonise our industry, our transport and our energy sector. We are investing massively in this transition by using the revenues of emissions trading. This is a sustainable model that brings down emissions and boosts the competitiveness of European industry.
The Innovation Fund is our key tool to support European industries in the transition to climate neutrality. More and more innovative projects are announced in Europe every day. The Innovation Fund ensures that the most promising ones in terms of emission reductions and scalability come to fruition. On the road to net zero, we need to combine climate imperatives with economic opportunities. With a larger budget and €1.4 billion dedicated to manufacturing clean technologies, this year’s call shows our determination to think big and move fast.
Commissioner Simson in South Africa to discuss energy investment and renewable hydrogen
Following her mission to Mozambique, Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, will be in South Africa today and tomorrow (Friday 24) to discuss opportunities for investments in wind generation, hydrogen and electricity grids and exchange on South Africa's efforts to deliver on its just transition programme and progress towards a cleaner energy system.
In the run-up to COP28, the EU is rallying countries across the globe to sign up to global targets to triple installed renewable energy capacity and double the rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. It is also taking forward work to implement Just Energy Transition Partnerships with international partners.
Commissioner Simson will meet with representatives of South Africa's Presidency, business associations and South African energy agencies to discuss energy investments, with a particular focus on offshore and onshore wind, renewable hydrogen and critical minerals. This discussion with international partners comes in the midst of the European Hydrogen Week 2023. The Commissioner delivered a video address yesterday on the importance of actions to support hydrogen infrastructure.
Commissioner Simson will also hold a series of bilateral meetings, with the Minister for Public Enterprises, Pravin Gorhan; Minister for Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande and Minister for Trade, Ebrahim Patel.
(For more information: Tim McPhie – Tel.: +32 2 295 86 02; Giulia Bedini – Tel: +32 2 295 86 61; Ana Crespo Parrondo – Tel.: +32 2 298 13 25)
President von der Leyen participates in the EU-Canada Summit on 23-24 November
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, together with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will travel to St John's, in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to participate in the 19th EU-Canada Summit, which takes place on 23 and 24 November.
The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, will receive them at their arrival on Thursday night. On Friday, President von der Leyen, together with President Michel, will hold a meeting with the Prime Minister. This will be an important step in taking forward an already thriving and unique partnership with a strategic, like-minded partner like Canada.
In particular, they will discuss the situation in the Middle East, our continued strong support to Ukraine, new cooperation on research, innovation, clean tech, digital tech and critical raw materials, as well trade and investments. At the end of the meeting, there will be a joint press conference, which you can follow on Ebs.
Later that day, the three leaders will meet with representatives of local companies to discuss climate and the clean energy transition.
(For more information: Arianna Podestà – Tel.: +32 2 298 70 24)
New Harnessing Talent Platform supports regions faced with the ‘talent development trap'
Today, the Commission launched the Harnessing Talent Platform, a new hub for sharing best practices, which will help EU regions attract and retain people with the necessary skills to mitigate the impact of the demographic transition.
Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President for Democracy and Demography, said: “With the launching of this Harnessing Talent Platform, we are implementing a key part of the European Commission's work on addressing demographic change. This builds on the territorial dimension of demography which, as we stated in the Demography Toolbox launched last month, requires us to introduce place-based solutions that are grounded in local realities.”
Opening the launch event, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira said: ”Leaving no one behind – that's our key mantra, and a core goal of Cohesion Policy! Thanks to Cohesion funds, we can provide regions with the necessary tools to fight the so-called ‘talent development trap'. By investing such funds into addressing disparities and enhancing the attractiveness of regions, we can support individuals wishing to work and live in their regions of origin. The new Platform is bringing regions one step closer to retaining and harnessing existing talents in their areas”.
The launch event also announced the 10 winning regions selected under the Pillar 1 call of the Talent Booster Mechanism, which will now receive the technical assistance and expertise to attract, develop and retain talent. In December 2023, the Commission will launch a call under Pillar 2, which will target 36 regions at risk of falling into the ‘talent development trap' - a decline of their working-age population and a stagnant number of people with tertiary education.
To build a fair and resilient society that leaves no region or individual behind, the Commission launched the Talent Booster Mechanism in 2023. The Mechanism is an eight-pillar initiative to support regions in training, retaining, and attracting people with the necessary skills to mitigate the impact of the demographic transition. The new Platform will help to deliver on these objectives and will act as a hub for collaboration and communication.
(For more information: Stefan de Keersmaecker - Tel.: +32 229 84680; Laetitia Close Tel.: +32 2 296 70 73)
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