The European Parliament had voted to allow some gas projects to be eligible to receive cash from the multi-billion-euro Just Transition Fund. This follows tough discussions with national governments and the union’s executives, which have previously agreed to exclude gas from the fund. The transition fund is part of the EU’s coronavirus recovery fund and budget, aimed at developing clean energy projects in fossil-fuel dependent member states and reaching the bloc’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
The parliament on Tuesday said eligible gas projects must comply with the EU’s 2030 climate target and be located in coal-heavy regions. The EU parliament also said only member countries vowing to be climate neutral by 2050 could tap cash from the proposed fund. To date, Poland is the only member state that has not signed up to the goal.
