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Mon, 24/06/2024 – 12:35
The European Commission has published the guidance on the application of the ‘do no significant harm’ (DNSH) principle under the Social Climate Fund.
The guidance covers the environmental safeguards that must be in place to benefit from the Social Climate Fund (over EUR 80 billion as from 2026). It is not limited to the Social Climate Fund: the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework will probably have to comply with the DNSH principle, and the guidance will be an important environmental standard for future public spending.
The Commission services have prepared a draft that retains a high level of environmental ambition, balancing operational DNSH criteria against avoiding any undue administrative burden on beneficiaries. They are now asking for feedback on whether this balance has been achieved.
Some environmental criteria pertain to the circular economy, such as:
- Is the size threshold for the renovation of existing buildings set at the appropriate level?
- Can we exclude backfilling from the construction and demolition waste threshold?
- Is there any evidence that linear infrastructure projects must use backfilling?
The consultation closes on 13 August. A webinar will take place on 18 July at 10:00 – 12:00 CEST to explain and clarify the criteria included in the DNSH guidance and allow stakeholders to ask questions. Please inform ENV E01 if you are interested so they will know to send you the invitation.
