European Competitiveness Fund: four principles for impactful simplification, efficiency, and flexibility
More than 15 organisations call on the European Commission to ensure that the EU budget and the design of the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) builds on best practices and the roadmap to clean industrial competitiveness. This includes using existing instruments and climate mainstreaming as ways to deliver the EU’s 2030 targets.
The letter outlines four key recommendations:
- Build flexibility in instrument availability with an extended financial toolbox under the ECF, while safeguarding the scope of EU funding programs for strategic climate and energy investments.
- Simplify the governance and delivery of EU funding for the SMEs, cooperatives and households that need it most.
- Integrate an efficiency-first approach in EU funding and Member States’ investment planning supported by proper local stakeholder consultation.
- Avoid reinventing the wheel and boost existing EU funds that have performed well for climate and energy investments.
