Help us make the FRA website better for you!

Take part in a one-to-one session and help us improve the FRA website. It will take about 30 minutes of your time.

YES, I AM INTERESTED NO, I AM NOT INTERESTED

glebzter/AdobeStock
21
January
2025

Towards a Fundamental Rights-Compliant European Green Deal

Climate change affects the daily lives of everyone in the EU and has significant environmental, economic, social and health impacts. To tackle this, the European Green Deal was adopted in 2019. This report examines the Green Deal from a fundamental rights perspective, with the aim of protecting the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment for all. It highlights the lack of fundamental rights in EU climate policy and the need to incorporate these rights into future legislation. It also considers how applying a human-rights-based approach to climate policy could support a fair and inclusive transition.

The Green Deal calls on governments to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supplying clean and affordable energy, mobilising industry for a clean and circular economy, building and renovating in an energy- and resource-efficient way. Figure 1 illustrates the elements of the Green Deal.

Figure 1 – The European Green Deal

Figure 1 illustrates the various elements of the Green Deal. Transforming the EU’s economy for a sustainable future contains the following elements: increasing the EU’s climate ambition for 2030 and 2050; supplying clean, affordable and secure energy; mobilising industry for a clean and circular economy; building and renovating in an energy- and resource-efficient way; mobilising research and fostering innovation; a zero pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment; preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity; from farm to fork: a fair, health and environmentally friendly food system; accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility; financing the transition; leaving no one behind (just transition).

© European Commission

Source: Commission communication – The European Green Deal, COM(2019) 640.

The Green Deal focuses not only on meeting climate goals, but also promises numerous benefits for Europe, its economies and its citizens, such as cleaner air, water and soil, increased food security and support for agricultural producers.

The ‘fit for 55’ package as part of the Green Deal is a set of proposals to revise and update EU legislation transforming the EU’s climate goal of reducing EU emissions by at least 55 % by 2030 into a binding legal obligation. The EU has established tools and provisions designed to support a fair and just transition and ensure that the most affected vulnerable groups are not left behind during the green transition. The following sections describe these measures and their fundamental rights implications and safeguards. The most important among these are the EU cohesion funds and the Just Transition Mechanism. The centrepiece of NextGenerationEU is the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), which was created to mitigate the pandemic’s economic and social impact and to achieve the EU’s climate targets. The EU has placed particular emphasis on tackling energy poverty and the EU environment action programme (EAP) to 2030 is aimed at reducing emissions and reaching the EU’s climate goals.

In addition, the European Pillar of Social Rights is an overarching social policy instrument of the EU which has relevance to various aspects of the green transition.

One third of the EU’s multiannual 2021–2028 budget and the NextGenerationEU instrument to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic has been allocated to green investments: both established mechanisms and new funds provide specific economic and social support for the green transition.

EU funding managed by the Commission, in partnership with national and regional authorities, accounts for approximately 80 % of the EU budget and is implemented under a 7-year cycle (long-term budget) until 2027. The common provisions regulation lays down common provisions on the Just Transition Fund (JTF), the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund and others. Article 9 of the regulation defines the horizontal principles for EU shared management funding, which requires Member States to comply with the Charter and the CRPD. Further, Member States and the Commission are obliged to ensure gender equality and non-discrimination based on gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation and accessibility for persons with disabilities during the preparation, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of programmes.

The JTF was established to mitigate the potential negative consequences of the green transition, focusing on those territories most likely affected by the transition towards climate neutrality, with the overall goal of reducing regional disparities.

In 2023, FRA research explored how the enabling conditions in applying EU funds related to the Charter and the CRPD are upheld in practice. It identified several areas for improvement, including the need for meaningful participation of fundamental rights bodies and civil society in all relevant phases of the implementing programmes. It further highlighted the need to build capacities, the development of tools and the provision of sufficient resources for the relevant bodies and organisations by Member States. The report also stressed the need to enhance monitoring and provide access to transparent, independent complaint mechanisms.

Not all EU funds fall under the common provisions regulation and, as such, not all are subject to the enabling condition on the Charter in the implementation of the programmes, for example the Social Climate Fund (SCF) and the NextGenerationEU Fund (see Sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.2).

The transition to a more sustainable Europe is supported by funds under the Just Transition Mechanism and the JTF, along with the SCF and the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, among others. The mechanism aims at alleviating, for the most affected territories, the economic, environmental and social costs of the transition towards climate neutrality by 2050.

The overarching goals of the mechanism target (i) companies and sectors active in or comprising carbon-intensive industries, (ii) Member States and regions with high dependence on fossil fuel and carbon-intensive industries, and (iii) protecting people and citizens most vulnerable to the transition by:

  • facilitating employment opportunities in new sectors and those in transition;
  • offering re-skilling opportunities;
  • improving energy-efficient housing;
  • fighting energy poverty;
  • facilitating access to clean, affordable and secure energy.

Member States are required, in their territorial just transition plans, to identify the ‘most negatively affected territories, including the social, economic and environmental impact of the transition to a climate-neutral economy of the Union by 2050, identifying the potential number of affected jobs and job losses, the depopulation risks, and the development needs and objectives, to be reached by 2030 and linked to the transformation or closure of greenhouse gas-intensive activities in those territories’.

As outlined in Section 3.1, the implementation of major EU funds must consider the horizontal enabling condition of compliance with the Charter and the CRPD. Furthermore, the regulation that establishes the JTF requires Member States to prepare their territorial just transition plans in compliance with the EPSR (see Article 11).

The SCF is part of a larger effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by 55 % by 2030 (‘fit for 55’), which will launch in 2026. It focuses on ‘vulnerable households, micro-businesses and transport users’ who are negatively impacted by the costs of the green energy transition in the areas of buildings and road transportation. The objective of supporting vulnerable households is to ‘help tackle energy poverty and improve access to zero and low emission mobility.’ Member States are due to submit their proposals on the use of the fund by June 2025. The regulation establishing the fund requires Member States to set up their national social climate plans in a manner consistent with the action plan for the implementation of the EPSR (EPSR action plan).

The RRF was established as the centre piece of the NextGenerationEU funding in 2021 to support the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and build a greener, more digital and more resilient future for the EU. National plans were required to allocate at least 37 % of their budget to green measures. Funding provided under the RRF must support equal opportunities, including gender equality, and contribute to the implementation of the EPSR. As such, it strengthens EU efforts to support greening of policies and mitigating impact of necessary climate transition issues in connection with economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. With respect to fundamental rights, the regulation provides one limited reference to the Charter in its recital (33): ‘Recovery and resilience plans should not affect the right to conclude or enforce collective agreements or to take collective action in accordance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and Union and national law and practices.’

A 2023 FRA report on social rights in the RRF  finds that ‘some Member States put forward measures in their plans that may raise concerns about compatibility with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights or the CRPD. For example, using facility funds to refurbish or build institutions for people with disabilities may not comply with Article 19 of the CRPD on living independently and being included in the community’. The measures address a number of social vulnerabilities among a variety of population groups in the EU, including women, children and young people in situations of vulnerability, people with disabilities, older people, Roma people and people in precarious working conditions. Out of 4 473 measures adopted, 869 addressed the social and territorial cohesion and only 7 % social protection, including social services and the integration of people in vulnerable situations. The European Institute for Gender Equality’s assessment of the RRF is that its gender equality provisions fall short in comparison with the legal and policy commitments to gender equality by the EU and the Member States, along with the 2024 international NGO report of the Citizens Observatory for Green Deal Financing finding a lack of attention for social inclusion and fundamental rights in the RRF.

The revised EU energy efficiency directive and the social climate fund regulation define energy poverty in the following terms:

‘Energy poverty’ means a household’s lack of access to essential energy services, where such services provide basic levels and decent standards of living and health, including adequate heating, hot water, cooling, lighting, and energy to power appliances, in the relevant national context, existing national social policy and other relevant national policies, caused by a combination of factors, including at least non-affordability, insufficient disposable income, high energy expenditure and poor energy efficiency of homes

 

In September 2023, the new energy efficiency directive  was published, establishing targets for reducing the EU’s energy consumption by 11.7 % until 2030. It obliges Member States to prioritise vulnerable customers and social housing within the scope of their energy savings measures and to actively address energy poverty. Member States are encouraged to make the best possible use of funds to ensure a just and inclusive energy transition.

In October 2023, the Commission published its recommendation to tackle energy poverty across the EU, calling on Member States to take swift action to implement the definition of energy poverty and to set out structural measures to ensure affordability and access to energy.

The Energy Poverty Advisory Hub is an EU-funded initiative aimed at knowledge sharing, capacity building and technical assistance for local governments in the Member States. It includes an online platform with information materials, training courses and sharing good practices, along with direct technical assistance to local governments in tackling energy poverty via two grant calls in 2022 and 2023. It also produced a methodology guidebook, which identified several primary and secondary indicators to measure energy poverty across the EU.

The recast electricity directive (Directive (EU) 2019/944), adopted as part of the clean energy for all Europeans package, establishes a right to universal service, where Member States are obliged to ensure electricity supply for household customers (Article 27), easily and clearly comparable, with transparent and non-discriminatory prices and implemented in a transparent and non-discriminatory way. In substance it is in line with the Charter principle, which recognises and respects access to services of general economic interest (Article 36), but does not refer directly to the Charter’s provision or other relevant international human rights instruments, such as the CRPD.

The 2024 revised energy performance of buildings directive aims to increase the rate of renovation in the EU, particularly for the worst-performing buildings in each country. Member States must support the introduction of minimum energy performance standards with an enabling framework including technical assistance and financing support, in particular targeting vulnerable households (recital 29). Further financial incentives target, as a priority, vulnerable households, people affected by energy poverty and people living in social housing (Article 17 (18)).

Similarly, the 2024 electricity market reform directive (Directive (EU) 2024/1711) and Regulation (EU) 2024/1747 explicitly address energy poverty and vulnerable energy customers. They foresee protection from electricity disconnection (Article 28a) and non-discriminatory access to energy supplies, including the right to energy sharing (Article 15a).

Although not a legally binding instrument, the EPSR enshrines 20 basic principles of EU social policies relating to equal opportunities and access to the labour market, fair working conditions and social protection and inclusion in broader terms, such as homelessness. The EPSR action plan was adopted in 2020 with the aim of strengthening the social dimension of all EU policies. It seeks to ‘ensure that the transition to climate-neutrality, digitalisation and demographic change are socially fair and just, and making the Green Deal and the upcoming 2030 Digital Decade successes for all Europeans.’

The EPSR provides a clear reference point for the Just Transition Mechanism, emphasising the need to focus on those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change: jobseekers, those at risk of poverty, children, young people, old people, women and workers with disabilities. The EPSR is to ‘serve as a guide toward efficient employment and social outcomes when responding to current and future challenges, which are directly aimed at fulfilling people’s essential needs, and towards ensuring better enactment and implementation of social rights.’

The EPSR action plan increasingly takes into account the green transition and the consequences of climate change, but has not done so in a systematic or holistic way. For example, the 2024 Commission staff working document on access to essential services in the EU describes access to energy, water and transport under the aspects of climate change and the green transition. It notes concrete actions such as developing and funding sustainable transport solutions and provides examples of groups in vulnerable situations, such as low-income households, the elderly and persons with disabilities, that could benefit from certain measures.

As the social and environmental agenda are intrinsically linked, the EPSR should be aligned with the ‘European Green Deal’.

European Trade Union Confederation, 2021

The EPSR action plan requires Member States to make full use of the EU funds when planning the allocation of financial resources. A European Parliament briefing on the social and labour market impact of the green transition stresses that the scope and size of such funds is limited: since EU competence in the area of social policy is limited, the policy action relied upon will be at the national and regional levels.

Success or failure of regional, national, and European responses will be determined by the ability of policymakers to set up an integrated policy framework comprising social, labour market and industrial policy elements.

Building on the Green Deal, the EAP aims to speed up the transition to a climate-neutral, resource-efficient economy, recognising that human well-being and prosperity depend on healthy ecosystems.

The 8th EAP, adopted on 2 May 2022, established the EU’s common agenda for environment policy until 2030 and particularly calls for active engagement of all stakeholders at all levels of governance, to ensure that EU climate and environment laws are effectively implemented. It provides the policy basis for the EU’s achievement of the environmental goals under the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda and its SDGs.

Six priority objectives should be achieved by 2030: achieving the 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target and climate neutrality by 2050; enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change; accelerating the transition to a circular economy; pursuing a zero-pollution ambition, including for air, water and soil and protecting the health and well-being of Europeans; protecting, preserving and restoring biodiversity and enhancing natural capital;  and reducing environmental and climate pressures related to production and consumption. These are especially relevant when highlighting the link between greening and impact on human rights through just transition.

It recognises the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, as laid out in Resolution 48/13 of the United Nations Human Rights Council, as an enabling condition for attaining the priority objectives of the 8th EAP.

The EAP is the key instrument of the Green Deal until 2030 and is anchored in the TFEU. It is required to be implemented in line with the SDGs and the EPSR but lacks explicit anchoring in the Charter.