Just transition and the geopolitics of decarbonization in the EU

The document analyzes the EU's Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) as a political tool to overcome national resistance to decarbonization, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. By 'rescaling' support to subnational NUTS 3 regions, the EU aims to empower local actors and generate bottom-up support for climate goals. However, the author warns that national governments may act as gatekeepers to funding, and that a regional focus may fail to protect the most vulnerable groups if not paired with broader social policies. The brief also argues for integrating just transition into EU foreign policy to support fossil-fuel-producing countries outside the bloc.

• The EU is using a 'territorial' approach to just transition as a political strategy to bypass resistance from national leadership and build bottom-up support for decarbonization among subnational carbon-intensive regions.
• The Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) implements 'rescaling' by defining eligible regions at the NUTS 3 level—the smallest spatial unit of the EU's classification system—rather than the NUTS 2 level used for general cohesion policy.
• The JTM is specifically designed to reduce resistance in Central and Eastern European countries, such as Poland and Hungary, which have historically opposed higher EU decarbonization ambitions due to the role of the coal industry and energy security.
• There is a risk that national governments may undermine the agency of subnational actors by acting as gatekeepers and impeding the access of lower-level governments to JTF resources.
• A regional focus on just transition does not automatically guarantee support for the most vulnerable groups, and current EU indicators for assessing Territorial Just Transition Plans lack provisions to monitor impacts on these groups.
• The EU should integrate just transition into its foreign policy and aid programs to support fossil fuel-producing regions outside the EU, particularly in low-income countries and neighbors such as Nigeria, Algeria, and Kazakhstan.

APA

Strambo, C. (2020). Just transition and the geopolitics of decarbonization in the EU. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/mistra-geopolitics-policy-brief-claudia-strambo.pdf

Chicago

Strambo, Claudia. Just transition and the geopolitics of decarbonization in the EU. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2020. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/mistra-geopolitics-policy-brief-claudia-strambo.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Strambo |first1=Claudia |title=Just transition and the geopolitics of decarbonization in the EU |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=October 2020 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/mistra-geopolitics-policy-brief-claudia-strambo.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{strambo2020just, author = {Strambo, Claudia}, title = {{Just transition and the geopolitics of decarbonization in the EU}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/mistra-geopolitics-policy-brief-claudia-strambo.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }