Adaptation investment needs per Member State
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EU needs €70bn a year for climate adaptation until 2050
By Sergio Matalucci
Published January 23, 2026
Across Europe, infrastructure vulnerability is consistently flagged as a critical concern, threatened both by slow-onset changes such as sea-level rise and by extreme weather events such as storms and heatwaves.
The European Commission published its “Assessment of EU and Member States Adaptation Investment Needs”, a study on the macro-economic impacts of the climate transition.
The 110-page report, which breaks down investment needs by country and by measure, estimates that the EU, its Member States and the private sector will need to invest around €70 billion a year in climate adaptation until 2050.
“The study finds that of the annual €70 billion that need to be invested in adaptation, about €30 billion are needed for infrastructure, €21 billion for ecosystems and €12 billion for food security,” the Commission said. France, Italy, Germany and Spain have the largest adaptation investment needs, partly due to their geographic and economic size, it added.