Just Transition
The Just Transition Team is dedicated to involving young people across the EU in the Just Transition Energy Mechanism. As part of this effort, we also aim to address energy poverty among youth. The Just Transition Mechanism is supporting regions, industries and workers most impacted by the transition away from fossil fuels, while the Social Climate Fund and European Housing Strategy target vulnerable groups, including youth, facing energy poverty, housing insecurity and socio-economic challenges. Despite the crucial roles they play, there is a significant lack of meaningful youth participation in these mechanisms and their national implementation. Young people often find themselves excluded from decision-making processes, undermining the effectiveness and inclusivity of these initiatives.
Our primary goal is to empower young people to shape a greener and more inclusive future, ensuring their voices are heard in the decision-making process of the Just Transition Mechanism.
The Just Transition Platform Team
As highlighted in our report on the state of youth engagement in the implementation of the Just Transition Mechanism, young people are one of the most affected groups in the green transition.
Young people are often excluded from both policymaking and how the policies that are then made address their challenges. Empowering young people to take part in shaping the transition ensures their needs are addressed while also unlocking their potential as changemakers for a fairer, greener future.
The Just Transition Platform team aims to:
- Raise awareness on the situation of vulnerable youth communities and the importance of just transition policies in helping to meet their needs.
- Promote inclusive practices and successful examples of stakeholder engagement strategies within the just transition that involve youth at all stages of policy-making.
- Help identify gaps where youth are not being consulted or included in the just transition process at the EU and national levels.
The Sustainable Energy and Housing Team
In our Youth Energy Poverty report, we discovered that many young people are concerned about meeting their energy needs for heating, cooling, lighting, and powering appliances.
Similar concerns were raised about accessing adequate, affordable, sustainable, and healthy housing. This growing dissatisfaction highlights the urgent need for youth and policymakers to co-create targeted solutions.
The Sustainable Energy and Housing team aims to:
- Raise awareness of how energy poverty disproportionately affects young people, particularly those in vulnerable situations
- Advocate for improved collection and use of age-disaggregated data to expose the scale and nature of youth energy poverty.
- Advocate for meaningful youth participation in the design, implementation, and monitoring of key policy processes, including the Social Climate Fund, the European Affordable Housing Plan, and related policies.
All figures from Eurostat and the GCE Energy Poverty Report (2024)
What does a truly just transition look like — through the eyes of young people?
Read our latest reports to explore how youth are engaging (or being left out) in the EU’s climate and energy transition:
Shaping a Just Future: Prioritizing Youth in the Social Climate Fund and Energy Transition.
Energy Poverty Report: Uncover how the cost-of-living and energy crises are affecting young people across Europe.
The State of Youth Engagement: A deep dive into the state of youth engagement in the implementation of the EU’s Just Transition Mechanism.
Our Partners
We’re part of the Equal Opportunities Working Group within the EU’s Just Transition Platform, a space dedicated to spotlighting the voices too often left behind. From youth and women to elderly and rural communities, this working group serves as an observatory and sounding board for the most vulnerable in the just transition. Our mission? To make sure the Just Transition Mechanism delivers real benefits and creates equal opportunities for everyone — not just a few.
When I joined GCE, I found a community of people from across Europe who shared the same worries, but also the same determination to act, tackling issues like energy and mobility poverty while connecting with others working on biodiversity and circular economy.
Weronika ŻurawskaJust Transition Coordinator until 2025
Being part of the Just Transition Working Group has given me the opportunity to deepen my knowledge while actively shaping policy discussions. It feels like a powerful bridge between learning alongside inspiring.
Kateryna BoichukProject Officer
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