The European Parliament adopted by 566 votes to 52, with 69 abstentions, a resolution on effective measures to ‘green’ Erasmus+, Creative Europe and the European Solidarity Corps.
Parliament considers that the European Green Deal, by putting the climate emergency at the heart of EU policies, should be an opportunity to rethink education, training, culture and youth programmes. Environmental protection, sustainability and the fight against climate change should therefore be mainstreamed across youth programmes and promoted as transversal skills.
Stressing the importance of the three programmes in promoting cooperation and innovation in European education, culture and youth policy, Members called on the Commission and national agencies and desks to show maximum flexibility and to provide support to participants and project developers so as to enable them to resume their activities post-pandemic in a sustainable way.
Objectives common to the three programmes
Parliament stressed the need for a baseline assessment of the programmes’ contribution to and impact on environmental and climate goals to inform the design of their future implementation. It deplored the lack of existing data on the environmental footprint of the three programmes, regretting that no indicators were included in the draft regulations for the period 2021-2027.
The Commission is therefore invited to:
- propose specific indicators to the co-legislators that are intended to be included in the regulations governing the new generation of programmes;
- record and calculate systematically participants’ individual transport-related carbon footprint.
- work with stakeholders to develop a list of recommendations based on the analysis of good environmental practice.
- propose specific indicators to be included in the regulations governing the new generation of programmes; these indicators should provide an in-depth analysis of the contribution of the programmes to environmental and climate objectives and an annual report with the data collected should be presented to Parliament;
- record and calculate systematically participants’ individual transport-related carbon footprint and make this data publicly available;
- work with stakeholders to develop a list of recommendations based on the analysis of good practices already applied by national agencies and desks and by project developers.
Parliament recommended developing a label to certify and give visibility to environmentally friendly and responsible practices and to reward innovative and environmentally promising projects in each of the programmes. It noted the lack of information on the funding available within the three programmes for projects on the environment, climate and sustainability.
The Commission is also invited to:
- encourage national agencies, national desks and project developers to register with the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) in order to evaluate, communicate and improve their environmental performance;
- establish criteria for taking into account the environmental aspects of projects in project appraisal;
- encourage the use of virtual formats to complement physical mobility, while ensuring that participants, when unable to travel, can nevertheless benefit from the programmes;
- enable participants to choose the least polluting means of transport, such as trains, and to this end, establish partnerships with European rail operators to provide participants with discounted fares;
- explore ways to reduce the environmental footprint of digital tools, including websites and software, used in the implementation of the programmes.
The new measures must not further erode the already extremely limited budgets of the programmes. In this respect, Members stressed the importance of promoting effective synergies and complementarity with other relevant funding programmes.
Erasmus +
Parliament called on the Commission to include respect for the environment, sound environmental practices and environmental protection among the principles of the Erasmus + Higher Education Charter. In particular, it called for:
- speeding up the implementation of the European student card, which can be a significant step in making participation in the Erasmus+ programme more environmentally friendly,
- the introduction of an e-learning platform of support, advanced learning and training opportunities (SALTO) for greening within the programme;
- measures to support the development of school curricula on climate change and sustainability in both primary and secondary education;
- the younger generation to take an active and informed approach to sustainability and improve the knowledge of young workers on climate change and environmental issues;
- support, under the Sport section, joint projects with sports associations on the subject of the environment and nature protection, healthy and sustainable lifestyles.
European Solidarity Corps (ESC)
Recalling that environmental protection is one of the important solidarity activities carried out within the ESC, Parliament called on the national agencies involved in the ESC to actively support and advise organisations responsible for sending and receiving participants. It also encouraged the creation of digital tools to facilitate the dissemination and exchange of good practices and of experiences among participants.
Creative Europe
Parliament invited the Commission to:
- develop a strategy specific to the cultural sector and a guide to good environmental practice in audiovisual and cultural production, dissemination and event organisation, to make it standard for projects funded by the programme;
- define common criteria for green public procurement for the cultural sector and to develop a tool to evaluate the environmental impact of cultural events;
- authorise, as a trans-sectoral measure, the establishment of a European network of environmental, climate and sustainability consultants to advise project developers and Creative Europe Desks.