Towards a Just Transition in Ireland and the European Union: A critical overview of the policy frameworks

This article is primarily a scene-setting one, which aims to give the reader both European Union (EU) and Irish institutional and policy context for this special edition. It presents and discusses the EU and national institutional and policy contexts relevant to the Just Transition (JT) and addresses relevant aspects and issues. Our interest is in the institutions and policies that shape or limit our capacity to change the conversation to what is needed to advance a transformational agenda that conjoins climate and equality as twin goals and enables integrated and inclusive governance. Our focus on the JT is because, as a concept, it interfaces climate policy and social justice.

The article sketches the EU policy framework as it relates to climate and social policy observing the lack of coherence between them and difficulties in advancing fast and fair transition and transformation. Delving into the contemporary EU policy framework for JT enables us to unpack the social pillar of the European Green Deal. The paper’s analysis of the Irish policy infrastructure, its statutory basis, and planning and assessment process allows us to analyse Irish climate policy. Our outline of the recent evolution of Ireland’s JT Framework, highlights how the establishment of the Irish JT Commission in 2024 and plans to give it statutory status in 2025 make Ireland a leader in the EU. Europeanisation is a characteristic of JT in Ireland.