Knowledge basis. A more comprehensive and integrated EU just transition framework should have a stronger knowledge basis. First, important steps could be taken towards better defining vulnerabilities in the green transition. There are now EU-wide definitions of energy poverty, in the SCF Regulation and in the revised Energy Efficiency Directive, and of transport poverty, in the 2022 Council Recommendation on a fair transition and in the SCF Regulation. However, there remain a range of definitions of energy poverty in the NECPs across EU Member States. The European Commission’s assessment of progress towards the objectives of the Energy Union and Climate Action (European Commission 2023d) finds that most countries do not (yet) provide an explicit definition of energy poverty (14). It therefore concludes that there is clearly scope for the Commission to provide additional guidance to the Member States (ibid.): i) through the EU-level definition of energy poverty established in the recast Energy Efficiency Directive; ii) in the revision of the energy poverty Recommendation; and iii) in the Coordination Group on Energy Poverty and Vulnerable Customers (which functions as a dialogue platform). The ESABCC (2024) also highlights the need for more analysis of the policy impacts of green transition policies (ex ante and ex post), considering both social distribution – co-benefits (concerning health, energy security, social cohesion) and unintended harm – and policy effectiveness (since limited systemic measurement of outcomes can limit policies’ impact). In addition, the organisation and implementation of a just transition requires a deeper understanding of ‘socio-ecological risks’. In order to construct genuinely integrated just transition indicators able to measure these risks and to guide policy-making, data will need to be developed and customised. In particular, XxXxxxxx and Xxxxxxxxx (2022) identify a number of EGD areas for which the justice dimension of the transition should be further explored, and new indicators would probably be needed. These include, for instance (ibid.): i) measures to enhance the energy and resource efficiency of buildings; ii) measures on social protection and inclusion in relation to the smart mobility initiative; iii) the EGD ‘Farm to Fork strategy’; and iv) the relationship between social objectives and biodiversity and ecosystem management strategies.
