Eurobarometer: European citizens agree more efforts are needed to achieve a just green transition

The Commission has today published a special Eurobarometer entitled ‘Opinions on the fairness of the green transition’, based on a survey carried out between May and June 2022.

According to the survey, the majority of Europeans — almost nine in ten respondents (88%) — agree that the green transition should leave no one behind, while most (77%) feel a personal responsibility to take action. Half of Europeans (50%) believe that the EU is doing enough to ensure a fair green transition, while 50% of respondents think the same about their regional, municipal or local public authorities, 47% about their national government and 43% for the business sector. In terms of the opportunities offered by the green transition, almost six in ten respondents agree that climate change policies will create more new jobs than they will eliminate, while 61% believe that these jobs will be of good quality. However, just over half say their current skills enable them to contribute to the green transition. In terms of energy prices, the affordability of energy and sustainable products and services is a major problem. 93% of respondents consider the current level of energy prices to be a serious problem for citizens in their country.

The Commission has already proposed a number of measures for a just green transition and will continue to put citizens at the center of relevant policy efforts. The European Green Deal aims to improve the well-being and health of citizens and future generations, and fairness and solidarity are its fundamental principles. Significant EU funds are available to support Member States, for example through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the European Social Fund+ and the Just Transition Facility, as well as through a range of policy initiatives to address high energy prices. The Council Recommendation on ensuring a just transition towards climate neutrality provides concrete guidance to Member States on measures to address the labor and social aspects of this transition. The European Year of Skills 2023 proposed by President von der Leyen in her State of the Union address will give new impetus to efforts to equip Europeans with the necessary skills for the green transition. The social dimension of the green transition will be the main topic of the European Forum on Employment and Social Rights on 16 and 17 November.

The full Eurobarometer results report, an informative chart and country-by-country fact sheets are available online.

Athena Papakosta

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