Aligning funds to address both social and circular goals

RREUSE has responded to the call for evidence regarding the mid-term evaluation of the EU funding for the environment and climate action. The evaluation will cover the period 2021-2024 and will focus on whether the LIFE programme is achieving its objectives and strategic focus.

As the only EU programme dedicated to environmental and climate actions, LIFE should further reinforce the EU objectives of a socially fair and just green transition.

Accordingly, its midterm evaluation should take the following into consideration:

• Address obstacles social enterprises face in accessing funding that covers both environmental and social objectives. Social enterprises active in re-use, repair, and recycling stress the need for EU funding streams like the LIFE Programme to better align with national social and circular economy strategies. The LIFE’s sub-programme “Circular economy and quality of life” should thus ensure support for social and environmental actors like social economy enterprises and help integrate socio-economic considerations into environmental policies and funding.

• Safeguard access to funding for social economy actors. Alongside other social economy networks, RREUSE calls to allocate 10% of every relevant fund to social enterprises and other social economy actors across programmes addressing circular economy and social inclusion goals. These include funding initiatives such as the LIFE Programme, Horizon 2020, the Just Transition Fund, the Cohesion Funds, and the European Regional Development Fund. The upcoming mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) should serve as an opportunity to mobilise the EU Budget for a more Social Europe, including on environmental issues.

 

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