Guidance on EU Social Climate Fund and Social Climate Plans published in Official Journal

Article summary

The Official Journal has published two guidance documents on the preparation of national Social Climate Plans (SCPs) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2023/955 (the Social Climate Fund Regulation) on 25 March 2025. The documents include general guidance on SCP preparation and technical guidance on applying the 'Do No Significant Harm' (DNSH) principle. SCPs must be submitted by 30 June 2025 as a condition of access to the €65bn Social Climate Fund, which will operate between 2026-2032. In their SCPs, Member States must outline measures to address the potential social impacts arising from the establishment of the ‘ETS II’, which creates an emissions trading system for buildings and road transport emissions. They must include national and regional measures to carry out building renovations, decarbonise heating and cooling systems, integrate renewable energy and increase the uptake of zero- and low-emission mobility and transport. Temporary direct income support can also be provided to vulnerable households and transport users.