money for German coal regions, for Nuclear power plants in France. Ursula von der Leyen has shrunk the budget for the transformation of the energy economy.

The Bełchatów power plant in Poland, the world's largest brown coal power plant photo: reuters

BRUSSELS taz | the Commission of The EU wants to attack the German coal regions financially, the phase-out of nuclear power in Eastern Europe, however, nor promote, such as the construction of new nuclear power plants in France. This is evident from a draft for the "Fund for the righteous change," wants to introduce to the authorities in Brussels on Tuesday.

The Fund is a Central component of the "European Green Deal", the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced. With your Plan, the CDU wants to make-politician, Europe, by 2050 climate-neutral. The economic transformation is to be made socially cushioned in order to avoid protests like those in the yellow vests in France.

Overall, the EU has promised up to 100 billion euros to promote "just transition" and to design climate policy in a socially responsible manner. The first draft of Brussels, which is the taz, however, lags behind this target. The speech is only from 30 to 50 billion euros spread over seven years.

From the EU budget to only 7.5 billion, and the remainder is branched off from the pots for Regional and social policy. Also, the EU States to reach into the bag to wean regions, such as Lusatia and the Rhineland from the "black Gold". As the 100-billion target is to be achieved remains unclear.

Very significantly, the EU authority, on the other hand, when it comes to the goals of the "Just Transition Fund". First of all, the promotion of Start-ups and smaller companies – in other words, classical economic policy. The retraining of coal miners and the coming re-integration into the labour market on the other hand, is an also-ran.

Trouble is likely to push the Anti-nuclear clause. "The decommissioning or the construction" of Nuclear power plants should not be from the funds of the new EU funds, the draft explicitly. Thus, the hopes of the East Europeans, but also by the French or the Belgians disappointed by the Leyen.

At the last EU summit in December had been used in the Czech Republic and Hungary on the offensive for nuclear power. Without this controversial technology, the conversion of a climate-neutral economy is not to create, warned the Czech Prime Andrej Babiš. In the summit decision, it was stressed that a number of EU countries rely on nuclear power.

Also in Poland is likely to meet the proposal from Brussels, there is little love. The country is more than any other dependent on coal. Prime Mateusz Morawiecki refused in December, the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, to write. He wants to set until June – and then only agree if he gets enough EU aid.

The first draft, the Commission Warsaw is not, however. Rather, it looks as circulating von der Leyen, the funds via watering can. "The 'Just Transition Fund' will provide support of all member States", it says. Germany is also expected to benefit, although the Federal government has already announced billions for the coal regions. In contrast, poorer EU must expect regions with cuts. Because of the Cohesion and structural funds money will be deducted, in order to Finance the new climate policy.

the European Parliament's criticism comes already. With "extrapolated" to EUR 7.5 billion over 7 years, you could do "nothing," said a member of the Green Niklas Nienaß. The EU will need 100 billion and had to get a new own resources, e.g. from the plastic expensive.