Green transition and labour law: actors, actions, challenges

The environmental and social emergency makes the transition to new models of sustainable development necessary. Both the UN Agenda 2030 and the new generation of EU policies are pushing in this direction. Achieving climate neutrality is promoted as the main goal of the European Green Deal. The European Green Deal aims to make Europe climate neutral by 2050, to stimulate the economy through green technology, to create sustainable industries and transport, and to reduce pollution. Turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities will make the transition fair and inclusive for all. This green transition has fundamental social implications. The Commission has specified the conditions under which it intends to achieve it: the green transition process will have to preserve the well-being and social cohesion of European citizens and provide an opportunity to rethink and modernise models of economic and social development and organisation. Indeed, the Commission has repeatedly stressed the importance of achieving a ‘socially just’ ecological transition, i.e. one that ensures that the costs of the transition are not borne by the most vulnerable populations, as a prerequisite for a successful transition to a zero-emission economy. In this context, the European Pillar of Social Rights is presented as the framework to ensure that ‘[...] no one is left behind’ (the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ is also one of the core principles of the 2030 Agenda). Thus, at the heart of the green transition, an important page is opened to rewrite labour law and industrial relations, topics on which the authors of this book have engaged with their original research contributions.