2.1.1. Overview

2.1.1. Overview

The integration of environment and climate change in EU cooperation must start as early as possible and be carried forward throughout the intervention cycle. The later the greening efforts start, the more limited the opportunities for transformational change will be.

This section indicates the entry points for the integration of environment and climate change in the different phases of the intervention cycle.

It indicates the greening measures/actions that should be taken, and the tools available. Although this section is common to all implementation modalities, greening opportunities specific to budget support and investments (blended finance and budgetary guarantees) are developed in sections 2.2 and 2.3 of this toolbox.

The greening of EU cooperation should be a driving force starting from the early stages of policy dialogue that informs multi-annual programming, through to the definition of priority areas and objectives for each programme, the identification and formulation of flagships, Team Europe Initiatives, investment pipelines, and individual actions and investments, their implementation and monitoring, and up to the evaluation phase.

Figure 4. Overview of key greening entry points and tools in the intervention cycle

References

(12) Measures to address potential significant adverse impacts on the environment and climate must follow the following hierarchy: (1) avoid impacts; (2) minimise impacts; (3) restore degraded sites; (4) offset impacts; (5) identify measures to bring about positive contributions.

[1] SWD(2022) 22 final

[1] Development impact achieved in collaboration with partner governments, donors and other international cooperation and development actors including the private sector and civil society.

[1] International cooperation and development outcomes and outputs to which EU funded interventions have contributed in collaboration with partner governments and other funding providers.

[1] See ICM Guide.

[1] Vade Mecum – Working as a team, and INTPA’s Strategic Governance System. Revision 2022.

[1] i.e. INTPA units F1 and F2: INTPA-GREENING-FACILITY@ec.europa.eu; INTPA-F1@ec.europa.eu; INTPA-F1@ec.europa.eu

[1] i.e. NEAR A3

[1] As supported by the EC/UNDP Biodiversity Finance Initiative BIOFIN, or similar instruments at national level.

[1] See Article 8.8 of the NDICI-GE Regulation.

[1] As cited in the EU Adaptation Strategy and the OECD position paper on CCA and DRR.

[1] Sendai Framework.

[1] INTPA: units F1 and F2 (notably via the CCT/RCT/TCT), NEAR: unit A3

[1] As per the INTPA Companion to financial and contractual procedures applicable to external actions financed from the general budget of the EU and from the 11^th EDF.

[1] Sectors with potentially high environment and climate risk include: agriculture and land use change, energy, transport, water, private sector development, urban development and tourism.

[1] e.g. in the context of a water delivery project, minimal level of water quality.

[1] Notably, Question 7.3 on environmental constraints and opportunities, thereby also dealing with environmental sustainability; Question 7.4 on the contribution to EU climate change commitments; Question 7.5 on the application of the Do No Harm principle, inequality and governance, (including on the management of natural resources).

[1] See ROM Handbook.