The European Green Deal: A Useful Framework for Anticipating Change in Companies?

Abstract

Sergio CanaldaThe restructuring of companies to adapt to a more sustainable production context requires anticipatory measures. These measures must necessarily be articulated through the principle of just transition, offering assistance to workers affected by the restructuring. The European Green Deal aims to promote the transformation of the European Union towards a more sustainable economic model. However, the measures included in the European Union (EU) Fair Transition Recommendation are generic actions without concrete content. When it mentions the need to encourage employee participation in corporate restructuring through information and consultation, the Recommendation refers to the implementation of the Quality Framework on Anticipation of Change and Corporate Restructuring. This paper addresses the adequacy of the Quality Framework to ensure a fair transition in green restructuring processes. In the first section, the interconnection between the EU Fair Transition Recommendation and theQuality Framework is briefly analysed. In the second section, the suitability of the Quality Framework as a reference instrument to guide restructuring processes is examined in two respects: on the one hand, the involvement of workers’ representatives and, on the other hand, the active participation of public authorities through the implementation of other social policies. Green Restructuring, Anticipation of Change, Just Transition, European Green Deal, Quality Framework, Information and Consultation, Social Partners, Public Authorities