Commission paves the way for Greece to implement its €4.77 billion Social Climate Plan to support vulnerable households and transport users in the clean transition

The European Commission has endorsed Greece's Social Climate Plan, the fifth plan under the Social Climate Fund, and the first of this size. The Fund uses money raised through carbon pricing to help vulnerable households, transport users and micro enterprises transition towards cleaner solutions for buildings and mobility, protecting them from higher energy and transport costs.

Starting this year and until 2032, Greece's Social Climate Plan will mobilise €4.77 billion. Of these, 75% (€3.57 billion) will come from the Social Climate Fund, while Greece will cover the remaining 25%.

Support for cleaner buildings

A central focus of the plan is to help reduce housing costs for low and lower middle-income households through more energy-efficient homes. To achieve this, the plan will

• support energy-efficiency renovations and the supply of energy efficient equipment
• finance the construction of zero-emission buildings for social housing
• establish one-stop-shops that will provide tailored support and guidance to vulnerable households and microenterprises to implement energy efficiency improvements

Support for cleaner transport

The plan will also finance both public and private sustainable transport solutions. It will

• support the expansion of transport-on-demand services for vulnerable users, including through investments in electric vehicles;
• help vulnerable households, service providers and micro-enterprises shift away from fossil fuels by supporting the purchase or lease of electric vehicles and the installation of charging points
• improve access to public transport, particularly in rural, remote or poorly connected areas

Supporting vulnerable people and micro- enterprises

The plan will benefit vulnerable households and microenterprises, including

• people facing energy or transport poverty
• people with specific mobility needs, such as persons with disabilities
• households living in areas with limited access to public transport
• micro-enterprises most exposed to fossil fuel price shocks
• beneficiaries of national energy support schemes

Greece prepared the plan in consultation with national stakeholders and in cooperation with Commission services, to reflect the national context and the specific needs of the country.

The Commission considers that the Greek plan gives a strong and lasting response to the new carbon pricing system for fuels in the buildings and road transport sectors in the EU (known as ETS2).

Greece will be able to request a first payment from the Commission in the first quarter of 2027, once the implementation of the plan has started and the first results from the investments are achieved.

Background

The Social Climate Fund will provide significant financial support to EU countries to finance measures and investments identified in the national Social Climate Plans to ensure the transition is fair and leaves no one behind. Running from 2026 to 2032, the Social Climate Fund is expected to mobilise at least €86.7 billion, combining revenues from

• Carbon pricing, from both the existing emissions trading system and the new emissions trading system for fuel combustion in buildings, road transport and additional sectors (ETS2)
• EU countries' contributions (at least 25% of the costs of their plans)

The fund will support measures and investments in energy efficiency, the renovation of buildings, clean heating and cooling, integration of renewable energy, as well as in zero- and low-emission mobility and transport, including public transport.

The Commission is working closely with EU countries on the development of their Social Climate Plans and calls for their swift submission.

Related links

Press release

Greece's Social Climate Plan

Social Climate Fund

Guidance on the implementation of the Social Climate Fund

Factsheet - implementation guidance

Social Climate Fund Regulation

EU Emissions trading system for buildings, road transport and additional sectors (ETS2)