Author Archives: Veronica Vidotto

With the European Green New Deal, the ecological transition became an ineluctable priority. It is crucial due to climate change, pollution, and resource depletion, although concerns arise about how to ensure no one is left behind. In particular, carbon-intensive regions face the need for restructuring, leading to risks of significant job losses and reduced economic activity.

To address this challenge, The European Union introduced the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) in January 2020, with the Just Transition Fund (JTF) as its funding component. The JTM is a set of strategies that aim to mitigate the impact of the just transition on regions, industries and workers. The cornerstone of this mechanism is the Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs), presented by the countries or regions that will face the challenges of just transition. All Members States are required to present these plans in order to have access to the JTF, identifying the main strategies that they aspire to develop for the transition process until 2030, coherent with the objectives of the National Energy and Climate Plans.

The JTF serves as a financial instrument to assist energy-intensive and mining regions most impacted by the adverse effects of the energy transition. Its goal is also to alleviate the unequal distribution of costs, ensuring strategic support for those facing the most significant challenges in the transition. The JTF can play a crucial role in balancing the economic impacts of the transition, preventing job destruction in affected regions and ensuring reskilling for new sectors.

The need to create this mechanism stems from the fact that the transition has a direct impact on society and individuals’ lives. Historical instances of significant restructuring have demonstrated that entire regions may reverse into poverty without adequate support. If not handled properly, these consequences may result in considerable regional inequality, leading to an unfair situation for the areas whose economy relies on heavy industries. Moreover, there is still a lack of understanding about the actual functioning and impacts of and mechanisms for occupational and sectorial reallocation, and the definition of indicators to monitor these initiatives.

The criticalities of the JTF prompt us to questions that we intend to address in the session:

1. How do the JTM and JTF ensure that the transition is inclusive and socially just for workers and communities affected by the shift away from fossil fuels?
2. How does the Just Transition Mechanism address the social and economic challenges faced by regions heavily dependent on fossil fuel industries or other environmentally harmful activities? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the JTM?
3. How will green reskilling work and which sectors will be involved first?
4. Which indicators may be important to monitor the development of JTM?
5. How do TTJPs interact with existing labour market policies and initiatives at the regional or national levels?

The session organized by the EAERE POC, in collaboration with the European University Institute under the ongoing CAPABLE project, intends to discuss the challenges posed by the possible reforms described above. In line with the aim of the EAERE POC (i.e. providing advice and support to EU policymakers and institutions in designing policy interventions), particular attention will be devoted to the most suitable policies that should be implemented to make these reforms feasible and effective.

The event intends to continue the series of policy dialogues carried out by the Policy Outreach Committee since 2019 in collaboration with the European University Institute at the State of the Union in Florence and at the past EAERE Annual Conferences.

Speakers:

• Xavier Labandeira, University of Vigo, ECOBAS and EAERE Policy Outreach Committee
• Simone Borghesi, EAERE President, European University Institute and University of Siena
• Iva Zverinova, Charles University
• Ilaria Dibattista, Florence School of Regulation, European University Institute and University of Siena
• Aldo Ravazzi, Italian Ministry of Environment & Energy Security and EAERE Policy Outreach Committee
• Tadhg O’Briain, DG Energy, European Commission

The session aims at discussing modalities and strategies to stimulate more economic research to be embedded in the IPCC 7th Assessment Cycle and more in general in IPCC processes, including covering research innovation gaps.

Chair: Simone Borghesi (EAERE President, European University Institute and University of Siena)

Speakers:

• Jos Delbeke (EAERE Policy Outreach Committee and European University Institute)
• Phoebe Koundouri (Athens University of Economics and Business and Denmark Technical University)
• Xavier Labandeira (EAERE Policy Outreach Committee and University of Vigo)
• Jan Minx (MCC Berlin)
• Massimo Tavoni (Politecnico di Milano and CMCC)
• Philippe Tulkens (EU Commission – DG Research and Innovation)

The video recording is available on YouTube.

United Nations Climate Change Global Innovation Hub Session at UNFCCC COP29 Baku
09:00-10:00 (GMT+4)

Concept note

The Mediterranean region needs localised innovation to tackle the climate and natural resource crises and best build resilient communities. Scientific, educational, and governance cooperation can foster radical solutions that offer collective resilience and wellbeing to meet its unique environmental challenges and opportunities. In this session speakers will draw on their extensive experience with research, climate governance, and cooperation organisations to tackle the practicalities of collaborative governance for shared scarce natural resources, collective climate and development issues, and systemic intersections with geopolitics in the Mediterranean region.

Speakers

• Carmen Arguedas, Former President of AERNA and Full Professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid
• Raja Chakir, Steering Committee of FAERE and Research Director at Paris Saclay Applied Economics, INRAE-AgroParisTech
• Shouro Dasgupta, Researcher at CMCC, Lecturer at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and Visiting Senior Fellow at Grantham Research Institute (LSE)
• Aldo Ravazzi Douvan, Chief Economist at DG Sustainable Development, EU & International Relations of the Italian Ministry of Environment

Moderator

• Simone Borghesi, President of EAERE, Director FSR Climate – EUI and Vice Rector for International Relations University of Siena

Watch the session on COP29 YouTube Channel.

EAERE is glad to announce its official side event at UNFCCC COP29 co-organised with SUR Lab Bocconi University and Ferrara University. The event focus on “Design and promotion of integrated approaches for carbon neutral and resilient cities” and will be held on Thursday, 21 November 2024 at 13:15-14:45 (GMT+4) – Room SIDE EVENT 5.

The event will explore and compare innovative urban approaches to driving carbon neutrality and enhancing climate resilience, showcasing a diverse range of strategies from around the world. Initiatives will be evaluated through the lenses of governance, financial viability, and measurable impact, all within the framework of an equitable and just transition. Featuring case studies from both developing and developed countries, the session will provide valuable insights into how cities of various contexts are addressing the challenges of climate adaptation and mitigation. The event aims to foster dialogue on scalable solutions, collaborative policy frameworks, and the role of cross-sector partnerships in building climate-neutral and resilient cities.

Speakers
– Simone Borghesi, President of EAERE and Director FSR Climate – EUI
– Edoardo Croci, Director SUR Lab, Bocconi University
– Alina Koschmieder, Associate, UN-Habitat
– Massimiliano Mazzanti, Full professor, Ferrara University
– Joanna Mclean Masic, Program Leader for Planet, Infrastructure and Digital in EU Member States, The World bank
– Giorgia Rambelli, Director Mission Innovation Urban Transitions Mission, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy

Moderator
Benedetta Lucchitta, Research fellow SUR Lab, Bocconi University

Livestream on YouTube

COP 29 official website