Europe frequently speaks about the transition before it speaks with those who stand on its frontline
Europe’s green transformation is often discussed in terms of technologies, investment plans, and regulatory milestones. Yet the real test lies elsewhere: in whether citizens feel included, informed, and empowered in the changes reshaping their lives. A recent assessment of just-transition communication practices makes one point unmistakably clear: the transition will succeed not because of what governments design, but because of how societies engage. Communication is no longer a secondary function of policy—it has become one of its core pillars as a new analysis from the Just Transition Stakeholder Engagement Working Group of DG REGIO underlines (Adapting the Just Transition Mechanism to the needs of regions in transition, DG REGIO’s Just Transition Stakeholder Engagement Working Group 2025) The survey, conducted across regions, institutions and civil society organizations involved in the shift to a sustainable economy, reveals a striking contradiction. While awareness-raising and...
