Fast-tracking Europe’s energy transition

The authors evaluate the EU's Next Generation EU and Germany's national recovery strategy, noting that while multi-billion-euro figures are earmarked for climate action, much of the funding remains conditional or unquantified. Drawing on the 2008 financial crisis, where green recovery efforts failed to prevent a global emissions rebound in 2010, the paper emphasizes the role of parliamentarians in overseeing budgets and implementing mechanisms like carbon border taxes to ensure a genuine energy transition.

• The EU's Next Generation EU recovery tool is valued at 750 billion euros, with approximately 25 per cent earmarked for climate-friendly investments, though the sustainability of the remaining 75 per cent is not yet determined.
• Despite a 130-billion-euro total stimulus package, Germany's recovery efforts show a disparity between conditional green funding and unconditional fossil fuel support; only 1.8 billion euros are considered truly 'green' and 'clean', while 10.5 billion euros in unconditional bailouts went to airlines.
• Analysis of the 2008 financial crisis recovery shows that while green aspects comprised 10 to 20 per cent of total stimuli, global emissions rebounded by 1.7 billion tonnes in 2010 after a brief decline in 2009.
• The EU's sustainable finance taxonomy and the Just Transition Fund may still allow for the inclusion of natural gas, potentially undermining the 'do no harm' principle intended to exclude fossil fuels and nuclear energy.
• Germany's energy transition faces risks from potential regulations requiring a 1000-metre minimum distance between wind projects and settlements, which could halt the expansion of onshore wind power.
• The European Parliament is proposing new revenue streams to fund recovery, including a carbon border tax and income from the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), to reduce the burden on taxpayers and create a level playing field for renewables.

APA

Skowron, A., & Schurig, S. (2020). Fast-tracking Europe’s energy transition. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/fast-tracking-europes-energy-transition/

Chicago

Skowron, Anna, and Stefan Schurig. Fast-tracking Europe’s energy transition. Green European Journal, 2020. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/fast-tracking-europes-energy-transition/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Skowron |first1=Anna |last2=Schurig |first2=Stefan |title=Fast-tracking Europe’s energy transition |publisher=Green European Journal |date=25 November 2020 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/fast-tracking-europes-energy-transition/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{skowron2020fasttracking, author = {Skowron, Anna and Schurig, Stefan}, title = {{Fast-tracking Europe’s energy transition}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/fast-tracking-europes-energy-transition/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }