Germany has missed an important deadline for submitting proposals for European Union funding worth €5.3 billion ($6.2 billion) from the EU Social Climate Fund.
However, the German Environment Ministry does not see any immediate problem. “Most member states will need more time, just like us,” a spokesman said on Monday.
The EU member states were actually required to submit a social climate plan to the European Commission by Monday.
The fund, totalling €86.7 billion, is intended to offset higher costs for consumers resulting from the green energy transition, such as rising heating costs, between 2026 and 2032.
It aims to provide relief for households and finance investments in areas such as more efficient buildings and public transport. A total of €65 billion is to be funded by revenues from EU emissions trading. The rest is to be co-financed by the member states.
“Assumptions that Germany would lose funds as a result of the delay are completely unfounded,” the Environment Ministry emphasized.
The European Commission and national governments would ensure that the Social Climate Fund could start on time, it said. The aim is to present the German plan before the end of this year.
The commission did not comment on Monday on the possible consequences of missing the deadline. “We first want to wait for the deadline to have passed and we will then move on to the consequences,” a Commission spokeswoman told dpa.
Lisa Badum, climate policy spokeswoman for the Green Party in the German Bundestag, reacted with outrage to the missed deadline. “This is a slap in the face for consumers, who are already struggling with rising living costs.”