Commission seeks views on the application of the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle to the Social Climate Fund
On Tuesday, 30 April, the Commission published a call for evidence-seeking views on the application of the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ (DNSH) principle to the Social Climate Fund. This call will also help policy reflections on how this principle could be applied more consistently across EU funds.
The DNSH principle aims to ensure that no EU-financed activities have a significant negative impact on climate and environmental objectives. It was introduced by the EU Taxonomy and already applies to several EU funds, such as the EU Cohesion Funds, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and InvestEU. The views collected should help ensure a consistent application of the DNSH principle to the Social Climate Fund, which was created to support the most vulnerable citizens and small businesses through the green transition. This fund will be financed by revenues from the new emission trading system on buildings and road transport.
This call for evidence will inform the development of technical guidance, which will assist Member States in ensuring that all measures included in their national Social Climate Plans comply with the DNSH principle.
The results of this call for evidence will also feed into the Commission’s reflections on how to implement the DNSH principle consistently across EU funds for the next Multiannual financial framework. The call for evidence will be open for four weeks. The adoption of the guidance is foreseen in September 2024.
