As negotiations on the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) get underway, eco-union has joined the Democracy for Transition (D4T) Coalition in calling for democratic governance, civic participation and social justice to remain at the heart of the EU’s future budget.
The D4T Coalition’s new joint position letter, “Embedding Democratic Governance and Social Infrastructure in the Post-2027 MFF,” highlights a key challenge: as EU funding moves towards larger, more flexible and nationally managed instruments, there is a risk that democratic participation and environmental and social safeguards are weakened.
The coalition argues that a successful and just climate transition requires more than funding for projects and policy measures. It also requires investment in Democratic Social Infrastructure (DSI) — the governance arrangements, civic capacities, networks, legal frameworks and resources that enable communities and civil society to participate meaningfully in shaping climate and environmental policies over time.
The position letter calls for stronger civil-society participation, genuine multilevel co-governance, permanent participation mechanisms, durable local and regional democratic infrastructure, long-term support for civil society organisations, and stronger transparency and accountability across EU climate funding. It also calls for robust application of the Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) principle across the MFF.
For eco-union, this reflects an essential principle of a just climate transition: democratic governance is not a secondary element of climate policy, but a necessary condition for a legitimate, socially just and politically sustainable transition.
As a member of the D4T Coalition, eco-union is pleased to contribute to this collective call for an EU budget that strengthens climate action while ensuring that communities, civil society and affected groups have a meaningful role in shaping the transition.