Unlocking Opportunities for a Just Transition: Policy Brief series
The EU mandate 2024–2029 appears to maintain the general direction of the European Green Deal by embracing the narrative of a just transition. The Political Guidelines of July 2024, which outline Commission President von der Leyen’s priorities for the mandate, state that ‘We need to ensure a just transition for all’. The Commission Communication of February 2025 on the Clean Industrial Deal, the EU’s flagship strategy to boost competitiveness while advancing decarbonisation, emphasises that
‘Every person, community, and business should benefit from the clean transition. The Clean Industrial Deal therefore commits to a just transition that delivers quality jobs and empowers people, building on their skills, while promoting social cohesion and equity across all regions.’
Other strategic documents, such as the Commission’s July 2025 proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), also emphasise the importance of ensuring that all workers, communities, territories, and regions reap the full benefits of the transition to sustainability.
Against this backdrop, several legislative and non-legislative EU initiatives announced during the first year of the mandate offer concrete opportunities to strengthen specific aspects of the just transition. These include the Quality Jobs Roadmap and Act, the new Clean Trade and Partnership Agreements, and the planned revision of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism at the end of 2025. Other initiatives include the upcoming revisions of the Public Procurement Directive and the Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action, as well as the launch of the Affordable Housing Action Plan in 2026. Through a series of policy briefs focusing on these EU initiatives, SOLIDAR aims to provide practical, evidence-based recommendations to ensure these opportunities lead to tangible progress towards a just transition in Europe and globally.
In today’s reactionary and unstable political climate, it is crucial to mobilise and push back against regression and deregulation while prioritising the objectives of a just transition in EU policymaking. Rising social inequalities, the growing cost of living, and mounting climate pressure risks fueling polarisation and undermining public support for the transition. The only viable path forward is a just transition that delivers tangible improvements in people’s daily lives, creates quality jobs, strengthens fairness and social cohesion, and accelerates progress towards climate neutrality. To achieve this, decision-makers must seize the opportunities offered by the current EU policy agenda to bridge the gap between ambition and implementation.
SOLIDAR’s series of policy briefs provides practical advice on how to turn this ambition into reality.
