European industries and their workers will be better prepared for economic change and avoid economically and socially costly crisis measures under plans for a Just Transition Directive supported today by the European Parliament’s employment committee.
The report adopted by the committee calls for the European Commission to bring forward a directive that would help employers, workers and public authorities anticipate change, invest in training, and coordinate national strategies to maintain Europe’s industrial base.
Europe lost a million industrial jobs between 2019 and 2023 and a new wave of company restructuring is underway, particularly in the automotive, chemical and steel industries.
At the same time, other sectors are being held back by a skills shortage. The energy sector alone will need 145,000 additional workers by 2030, according to the European Commission, but Mario Draghi’s report on competitiveness pointed out only 37 % of adults participated in training in 2016 and this rate has hardly increased since. Adult participation in learning increased in just five member states, which together represented barely 6% of the EU population, between 2023 and 2024, Commission figures show.
A Just Transition Directive would ensure workers will receive the training they need to bring down energy prices for all industries, and stop already skilled workers being lost in chaotic and expensive snap redundancy processes. A plenary vote is now expected to take place between the 20th and 22nd of January.
ETUC Confederal Secretary Ludovic Voet said:
“There are no winners from the kind of chaotic and costly restructuring processes taking place around Europe at the moment. By contrast, a Just Transition Directive would be a win-win for businesses and workers.
“It would help companies anticipate and manage the changes that will be brought about by climate change, artificial intelligence and global competition, rather than reacting to them after its too late.
"The very low rates of participation in training highlighted by Mario Draghi show why we need to make training a right. That would ensure workers have a bright future in the green and digital sectors and prevent the skills shortages that are holding back our companies."
