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Elisa Ferreira, European commissioner for cohesion and reforms,
said the cuts in particular during the euro zone crisis from
2009 to the mid-2010s had resulted in reduced staff in public
administration and delayed training or introduction of new
technologies.
"But we are asking for the public administration to adapt, to do
green budgeting, to use artificial intelligence... and often
they don't have the means to deliver," Ferreira told Reuters in
an interview.
The European Union has new laws to speed up the process of
granting permits for projects that would boost clean tech
production or secure supply of critical materials, but public
administrations, which grant permits, could prove a bottleneck.
The bloc has a seven-year fund of 864 million euros ($936.1
million) designed to help EU countries prepare for such future
challenges and carry out reforms, through training, sharing best
practices and providing project advice and oversight.
The European Commission said on Tuesday it had selected 170
projects for 2024, of which nearly a third relate to the green
transition and just over a quarter to the digital shift.
Projects include plans by Estonia and Lithuania to produce
sustainable aviation fuel and six EU members to support areas
most negatively hit by the green transition.
Some 37 financial supervisors from 26 EU members will also
receive support and training in the risks and opportunities
advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, present
for the financial sector.
The EU aims to help public authorities in green budgeting, in
which the environmental impact of budgetary items is
incorporated to meet green goals.
Ferreira said EU members needed to invest in strengthening
public authorities, although this did not necessarily mean
employing more staff.
($1 = 0.9230 euros)
(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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