The European Green Deal and the ‘Leave No One Behind’ principle

Study commissioned by the Belgian Federal Minister for Climate, Environment, Sustainable Development and Green Deal in the framework of the 2024 Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

In this study, Sebastiano Sabato (OSE) and Josefine Vanhille (University of Antwerp) assesses how the ‘leave no one behind’ principle has so far been considered in the implementation of the European Green Deal, to ensure a just, green transition. After identifying and discussing the main gaps and limitations of the current EU framework for a just transition, the authors propose 11 policy implications on the way forward, with a view to enhancing the role of the just transition in the future implementation of the European Green Deal, and in EU policies in general.