The European Commission has admitted that its Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) is “hardly compatible” with the Paris Agreement and must be changed.

The €40 million-a-year RFCS has been heavily criticised since it was exposed by an article in Unearthed in January last year. A subsequent META investigation revealed the fund was being used to pay coal industry lobbyists to promote their business.

The Commission’s comments came in an answer to MEP Rasmus Andresen, who had submitted a written question to the Commission about the fund.
Andresen had to wait five months for a response to his question, despite a requirement for the Commission to reply within six weeks. Writing on Twitter, he said: “It’s good that [the Commission] wants to change the fund. It’s stupid that there is no clear timeline”.

The question referenced the META investigation and asked the Commission about the compatibility of funding coal projects with the Paris Agreement and the EU’s own Green Deal. With its answer the Commission has now admitted that the fund is not compatible and will need to be changed.

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