The transition to a climate-neutral Europe is already well underway – but its success will depend on public acceptance and the extent to which it is perceived as fair. While the transition creates opportunities for innovation, employment, and resilience, it also carries risks: for workers in emission-intensive industries, for structurally weaker regions, and for low-income households. To ensure that the transition to climate neutrality maintains public support, there is still a clear need for action. A robust evidence base is required to understand how a fair transition can be designed in practice, which policy approaches are effective, and where information and implementation gaps remain.

Against this backdrop, a consortium led by Prognos, together with ICF, HIVA – KU Leuven, Ecologic Institute, REFORM, CeMPA and Applica, is developing the European Fair Transition Observatory (EFTO) for the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. The aim is to establish a European knowledge and monitoring platform that brings together data, policies, analyses, and practical examples on the just transition. Ecologic contributes in particular its expertise at the interface of environmental policy and socio-ecological transformation, building on experience from similar European monitoring initiatives such as the European Climate Neutrality Observatory (ECNO).

The project is structured around six work packages:

• WP 1: Mapping relevant policy measures and systematically identifying and analysing best practices to provide an overview of existing approaches to a just transition 
• WP 2: Collecting and analysing quantitative data on the just transition, including identifying data gaps and potential indicators for monitoring 
• WP 3: Producing thematic analyses and reports to deepen key issues and address existing knowledge gaps 
• WP 4: Developing and continuously populating the Fair Transition Scoreboard/Monitor, which consolidates project data and insights in a user-friendly way 
• WP 5: Communicating, presenting, and disseminating project results to reach relevant audiences and foster exchange 
• WP 6: Establishing and engaging an Advisory Board to provide expert guidance and strategic input

The Ecologic Institute contributes its expertise particularly in the identification and analysis of best practices (WP 1), the analysis of quantitative data and identification of data gaps (WP 2), and the content development and population of the monitoring tool (WP 4).