Greece's National Social Climate Plan has received approval from the European Commission, unlocking €4.8 billion to shield low-income households from the costs of the country's clean energy transition. The plan is the fifth national programme cleared under the EU's Social Climate Fund, following those of Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia and Malta, and the largest to date by budget.
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The Social Climate Fund draws on revenue from the EU's extended emissions trading system, which brings transport and building-heating fuels under carbon pricing from 2027. EU financing will cover 75 percent of the plan, with national co-financing making up the rest; Athens puts the domestic total at €5.3 billion, including VAT.
Heat pumps and home renovations
Central to the plan is support for around 460,000 vulnerable households, with 200,000 heat pumps and solar water heaters earmarked for installation alongside up to 62,000 building renovations. Social housing features prominently too, with 2,800 units planned at three former military sites. The Commission expects the measures to cut emissions by 811,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year by 2032.
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Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis called the approval “genuinely good news”, adding that the fund is set to become “a significant pillar of the economy” alongside Greece's structural funds, agricultural subsidies and the newly established Competitiveness Fund.
Transport gets its own strand
In the area of transport, taxi owners in Athens and Thessaloniki will be first in line for subsidies of between €20,000 and €29,000 to replace ageing vehicles with electric, with the scheme later extended nationwide. The two cities will also share 211 new electric buses, and funding is earmarked for Metro trains, student accommodation and disability access improvements.
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Rollout is set to run in two phases, with initial measures launching this year and the bulk of spending following in 2027. Greece can request its first disbursement once the agreed milestones have been met.
Across the wider EU, national plans are being cleared in stages as member states prepare for carbon pricing to reach transport and heating fuels in 2027, a reform likely to raise costs for households already exposed to energy poverty. With Greece's plan now approved, the Commission is expected to continue reviewing the remaining national submissions in the coming months. (TF)
