Journal of Economic Policy Reform

Can Europe deliver on the Green Transition?

The argument: ambition vs. reality

There is a particular brand of optimism, found in high concentrations within the Brussels beltway, that views the European Green Deal as a smooth, inevitable march toward a brighter future. It is a vision of a continent united against the existential threat of climate change, armed with an array of investment packages and regulations designed to ensure we all row together in the same green direction.

Yet, as the paint begins to dry on these grand designs, a gulf is opening between the path set in the Berlaymont and the reality on the ground. The green transition is not merely a technical adjustment; it is a massive reallocation problem. It is a process where new opportunities emerge, but also some sectors contract, some tasks vanish, and some workers are expected to adapt or move with a fluidity they rarely possess. The underlying concern is one of delivery: can institutions and labour markets across the continent adapt quickly enough to sustain momentum before the rising tide of social and territorial discontent washes the whole project away?

The central question for this special issue of the Journal of Economic Policy Reform is whether Europe as a whole possesses the institutional and economic machinery to actually deliver a green transition that benefits all. While the rhetoric of the transition is "just" and "inclusive," the economic reality is often one of "creative destruction" where, at times, the destruction is far more visible than the creativity. For every technician hired in the "green economy," there is a worker in a "brown" sector facing the obsolescence of their livelihood. We must ask: are we preparing for a transition, or are we simply managing a series of regional shocks?

 Green transition in an uneven Europe

The green transition is being mapped onto a landscape defined by deep-seated economic and political fractures. Moreover, Europe is a continent of extreme institutional variety, and the capacity of any given place to react to regulatory shifts is dictated by the latent capabilities of every place and every region to adjust to the demands of the green transition.

As these capabilities are uneven, we are already witnessing a widening divergence between leading regions —largely urban hubs with the institutional agility to pivot toward new technologies— and followers. For the latter, the transition is often perceived not as an opportunity, but as a threat to their survival. People living in these regions frequently lack the vocational frameworks and regulatory adaptability required to keep pace. If the green transition rewards the already prosperous while leaving the industrial periphery to stagnate, it will fail. Not for lack of funding, but for lack of political viability triggered by the rise of a “green discontent.”

Themes for contribution

We invite papers that bring rigorous empirical analysis and fresh theoretical perspectives to the following areas:

• The spatial heterogeneity of green reform: Analysing why certain places in Europe are positioned to thrive while others face structural decline.
• Institutional quality and transition capacity: The role of local governance, norms, and regulations in facilitating or hindering the green shift.
• Mapping the geography of green discontent: How the uneven impacts of the transition fuel political resistance to environmental policy.
• Labour market shocks and adjustments: Evaluating "place-sensitive" policies to make sure that the benefits of the green transition are maximised and its potential costs, minimised.
• The political economy of reform: Moving from high-level EU frameworks to actionable, regional-level policy implementation.