New Working Paper: Just Transition Policy in the EU

We are pleased to share our latest working paper, which examines the evolving “just transition” policy landscape in the European Union in the context of the EU’s accelerating decarbonisation agenda.

Written by Linus Mehl, Sarah Thompson, and Marc Ringel.

Abstract

While climate and energy policies are central to achieving the EU’s mitigation targets, they can generate uneven social and territorial impacts—ranging from employment disruption in carbon‑intensive regions to distributional pressures linked to energy and mobility costs. The concept of a just transition has emerged as a response to these tensions, but its meaning, scope, and operationalisation remain contested across academic debates and policy practice. 

Against this backdrop, this paper provides a structured narrative review that brings together (i) core conceptual and analytical debates on just transition and eco‑social policy, and (ii) the EU’s policy and funding architecture relevant to “leaving no one behind,” including both Green Deal–era instruments (notably the Just Transition Mechanism and related initiatives) and earlier cohesion, labour-market, innovation, and energy‑poverty frameworks that have become increasingly mobilised under a just transition rationale. 

Synthesising these literatures, we identify recurring tensions in the EU approach—particularly the balance between territorial targeting and broader social vulnerability, the relative neglect of procedural and recognitional justice in implementation, and the challenges of monitoring and accountability in an expansive and rapidly evolving policy domain. 

Finally, the paper sets out a forward research agenda and proposes an analytical framework that can support more systematic comparative work across Member States. In particular, a forthcoming paper will apply this framework to a detailed content analysis of updated National Energy and Climate Plans and associated national policy documents to assess how “just transition” is interpreted and operationalised across the EU.