The European Union’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021–2027, together with the temporary recovery instrument NextGenerationEU (NGEU), marks a shift in the EU’s fiscal priorities. This budget cycle is the most transition-oriented budget yet, with ambitious goals for the green, digital, and just transitions.
In recent years, the European Commission has raised concerns about the uneven social impacts of the green and digital transitions. In response, the Commission launched instruments to ensure a just transition – where a shift towards climate neutrality and sustainable practices is socially fair. However, there are uncertainties about how much of the budget is actually directed at the just transition.
To address this uncertainty, this present report analyses the extent to which the current MFF 2021–2027 budget is committed to supporting a just transition. This report mapped the objectives and planned commitments of relevant EU funds and classified them according to defined transition categories.