2023 State of the Union: Advancing Europe’s Future Towards a Fair and Just Transition

On September 13, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her yearly State of the Union speech, touching on some key topics for the present and future of the European Union, namely on the future of the European Green Deal, global competitiveness, biological diversity, and social issues.

Read more on the key points of von der Leyen’s speech and how CSR Europe ’s services can help your organisation in hitting these targets.

EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL

Building on a number of initiatives released in the past years, such as the Net-Zero Industry Act and the Critical Raw Materials Act, the European Commission will hold a series of Clean Transition Dialogues with industry. These will aim to support every sector in building its business model for the decarbonisation of industry. Furthermore, a European Wind Power package will be put forward, in close collaboration with industry and Member States.

Additionally, increasing support shall be dedicated to the men and women in farming to tackle new challenges which will also be achieved through the launch of a strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture in the EU.

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GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS

In reaction to China's unfair trade practices and the consequences on young European businesses, the Commission is launching an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles coming from China.

The electric vehicles sector is a crucial industry for the clean economy, which the growing increase in the market of cheaper Chinese electric cars, with artificially low prices, leading to unfair and distorting practices in the global economy.

CSR Europe continues to engage with Chinese stakeholders in the DRC to improve the supply chain sustainability of electric vehicle batteries.

ECONOMY AND SOCIAL ACTION

Increasing shifts in technology, society and demography are leading to a more important role for businesses and trade unions and in general of collective bargaining partners.

After forty years the birth of the European social dialogue, together with the Belgian Presidency the European Commission will convene a new Social Partner Summit. It will aim at targeting the challenges facing the labour market, from skills and labour shortages to the new ones stemming from AI.

The involvement of social actors is at the core of the future of sustainability. To help businesses in charting their path towards a Just Transition, CSR Europe offers a comprehensive Just Transition Assessment that provides tangible assistance in establishing a strategic direction for implementation.

Unsure on how to guide your workforce through the green and digital transition? Take on CSR Europe 's Just Transition Assessment to develop an effective Just Transition plan.

Interested in setting up effective grievance mechanisms? Test your performance vis-à-vis the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights #UNGP thanks to our Grievance Management Assessment.

CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS

The debate over a green transition is increasingly centred on the availability of essential raw materials. Critical minerals are overly dependent on one supplier in many nations. Europe is still highly dependent on resources coming from countries in Latin America and Africa. On the other hand, the previously mentioned continents prefer to build domestic industries for processing and refining their resources rather than simply exporting them. In light of this, the European Commission will call the inaugural meeting of the new Critical Raw Materials Club.

A coordinated approach, like the one kept by the Drive Sustainability automotive partners is the perfect opportunity to address and overcome the sustainability challenges found along the raw materials supply chain.

SUPPORT TO COMPANIES

At times of growing pressure towards a fair, just and green transition, companies and specifically Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), need to be supported as they do not have the capacity to cope with the burden of upcoming measures. For this reason, the European Commission will appoint an EU SME envoy to act as a key link with small and medium-sized businesses. This will come hand in hand with a legislative proposal towards reducing reporting obligations at the European level by 25%.

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The fourth and last speech of this current Commission confirmed a positive result on the amount of promises that have been kept. Moving towards the end of this term, President von der Leyen has confirmed the aim to strive for a fair and just transition, working to achieve more decent jobs and to leave no one behind.

By Giorgia Miccoli

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