German government misses deadline for billions of dollars in EU climate funding
Germany missed a significant deadline for submitting a €5.3 billion (US$6.2 billion) worth of EU funding from the EU Social Climate Fund.
However, the German Ministry of Environment did not see any direct problems. “Most member states will need more time,” a spokesperson said on Monday.
In fact, EU member states were asked to submit a socio-climate plan to the European Commission by Monday.
The fund totaled 86.7 billion euros and aims to offset higher costs for consumers due to the green energy transition, such as the rising heating costs between 2026 and 2032.
It aims to provide relief for household and financial investment in areas such as homes and more efficient buildings and public transportation. A total of €65 billion will be funded by revenue from EU emissions transactions. The rest will be jointly funded by member states.
“The assumption that Germany will lose funds due to delays is completely unfounded,” the Ministry of Environment stressed.
It said the European Commission and national governments will ensure that the Social Climate Fund can start on time. The goal is to introduce the German plan by the end of this year.
The committee did not comment on the possible consequences of the lost deadline on Monday. A committee spokeswoman told the DPA: “We want to wait for the deadline to pass first and then we will continue to resolve the consequences.”
Climate policy spokesman Lisa Badum, a Green Party spokesman for the German federal government, was angry at the missed deadline. “For consumers, it’s a slap, they’re already struggling with the rising cost of living.”
