The Federal Environment Ministry launched its fifth call for project ideas under its European Climate Initiative (EUKI) today. Non-profit organisations in the European Union are invited to submit their project ideas for transboundary climate action up to 19 January 2021. EUKI connects local stakeholders to implement joint, ambitious climate policy in Europe.

Federal Environment Minister Schulze commented: “The EU member states will agree on a new, more ambitious EU climate target by the end of this year. The path we have to take is clear: Europe needs and wants more climate action. To achieve the climate target within the next ten years we want to join forces in Europe and promote exchanges of expertise and practical solutions. The close, cross-border cooperation in more than 100 climate action projects as part of our European Climate Initiative helps us implement an effective climate strategy in close collaboration in Europe”.

EUKI projects provide forward-looking ideas for European climate action. They are categorised into the following eight core areas: climate policy, energy, buildings and municipalities, mobility, agriculture, soils and forestry, awareness, climate-aligned finance and sustainable economy. These innovative projects should also help simplify the EU climate policy dialogue. The target groups are governments, municipalities, educational institutions and stakeholders from civil society, science and industry, in particular in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe and the Baltic states.

The growing network of the European Climate Initiative currently covers 241 organisations that are active in 25 EU member states and 5 Western Balkan countries and that have a cross-border impact. EUKI projects focus on climate-friendly and liveable cities, socially acceptable structural change in coal mining regions and raising awareness of responsible nature conservation and climate action among European schoolchildren, to name just a few examples. EUKI has launched 128 climate action projects in Europe since it was established in 2016.

More information on the call for project ideas can be found at the following link: https://www.euki.de/en/selection-procedure/