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Across the Union, while many Member States have made good progress in the implementation of policies and programmes of learning to support the green transition and to promote learning for sustainable development, there is nonetheless a need to continue and step up efforts in that regard. Policy and practice for this kind of learning should be further stimulated and supported. It is necessary to recognise the need for interconnected learning across the environmental, economic and social pillars of sustainable development, while placing a specific focus on the environmental pillar.

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The European Green Deal (1), the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (2), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) strategy Education for Sustainable Development for 2030 and the related United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) work (3) highlight the key role of schools, higher education and other education and training institutions in engaging with learners, parents, educators (4) and the wider community on the changes needed for a successful, just and inclusive green transition. In its conclusions on ‘Biodiversity – the need for urgent action’ (5), the Council stressed that investing in education, among other areas, is key in gathering the best data and finding the best solutions in this regard. The EU Youth Strategy identifies a sustainable green Europe as a goal and calls for all young people to be environmentally active and educated.

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Learning for the green transition and sustainable development supports learners of all ages in acquiring the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to live more sustainably, in changing patterns of consumption and production, in embracing healthier lifestyles and in contributing – both individually and collectively – to a more sustainable economy and society. It also contributes to building the skills and competences increasingly needed in the labour market. It promotes understanding of the interconnected global challenges we face, including the climate crisis, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss, all of which have environmental, social, economic and cultural dimensions.

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The Sustainable Development Goals of the UN, notably Target 4.7, call for all learners to acquire by 2030 the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development (6).

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The Communication on the European Education Area (7), the European Pillar of Social Rights (8), the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) (9) and the Communication on a new ERA for Research and Innovation (10) call for education and training policies and investments to be geared towards inclusive green and digital transitions for future resilience and prosperity.

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The key competences, as defined in the European Reference Framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning (11), aim to support people across Europe in gaining the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for personal fulfilment and development, employability, social inclusion, sustainable lifestyle, successful life in peaceful societies, health-conscious life management and active citizenship in a time of rapid and profound change.

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The European Skills Agenda (12) announced support for the development of a core, green skills set for the labour market with a view to creating a generation of environment-conscious professionals and green economic operators, integrating environmental and climate considerations into general education, higher education, vocational education and training as well as research. Europe needs highly competent professionals to support the green transition and to be a world leader in sustainable technologies.

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The Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (13) and the Osnabrück Declaration recognise the VET sector as key for the digital and green transitions.

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The European Climate Pact invites individuals, communities and organisations to participate in climate action and building a greener Europe by offering opportunities to learn about climate change, develop and implement solutions, and connect with others to multiply the impact of those solutions. The Education for Climate Coalition aims to create a community led by students and teachers, together with their schools and networks and other educational actors, to learn from as many relevant experiences as possible, and bridge fragmentation between education sectors, domains and people.

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The Digital Education Action Plan (14) provides a vision for high-quality, inclusive and accessible European digital education and training and underscores the importance of digital technologies as powerful enablers for the green transition whilst, at the same time, facilitating a move towards sustainable behaviour in both the development and use of digital products.

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The New European Bauhaus brings a cultural and creative dimension to the European Green Deal, aiming to demonstrate how sustainable innovation offers tangible, positive changes in our daily life, including in school buildings and other learning environments.

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UNESCO, through its Education for Sustainable Development programme, has been working to make education and training a more central and visible part of the international response to the climate crisis and to deliver on all Sustainable Development Goals, notably Target 4.7 on education for sustainable development. Under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, parties commit to promoting and cooperating on climate change in the context of sustainable development in all dimensions, in particular on education, training, public awareness, public participation and public access to information.

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There is a growing awareness and desire among young people to engage in sustainable development issues, particularly environmental and climate issues. The results of a Eurobarometer released in May 2022 indicate that young people in the EU consider ‘protecting the environment and fighting climate change’ to be one of the key priorities the European Year of Youth (2022) should focus on. OECD data (15) from 2018 already demonstrate a high awareness among 15-year-olds of climate change and the environmental crisis and the need to address it. However, the same OECD data show that far fewer students feel a sense of agency to make a real difference. The extent of the climate and environmental crisis can lead to learners feeling overwhelmed and disempowered, which can be exacerbated by inaccurate information and disinformation.

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It is of great importance that education and training systems and institutions respond to the growing youth voice on the climate and biodiversity crises and involve young people in designing solutions related to learning for the green transition and sustainable development and taking action for a sustainable future. The 2022 European Year of Youth plays an important role in further stimulating youth engagement.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted our close links with nature and put renewed focus on education and training systems. Lessons have been learned about new possibilities for education and training, including blended learning approaches in different settings (including online), engagement and autonomy of learners and the links between formal education and the wider community. The pandemic also increased a long-standing concern for the physical, mental and emotional well-being of children, young people and adults.

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Individual early childhood education and care centres, schools, higher education institutions, research organisations, VET providers and local communities are becoming increasingly active in relation to the climate and biodiversity crises. However, sustainability is not yet a systemic feature of education and training across the EU.

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In many countries, learning for sustainability and equally viable concepts, such as education for sustainable development and global citizenship education, have been taken up in policies, strategies and curricula. However, educators need further targeted support, expertise, and training opportunities to incorporate the principles of the green transition and sustainable development in their teaching and training practices. They often feel insufficiently equipped to deal with eco-anxiety and eco-pessimism and to help learners engage with climate and environmental issues in a positive way.

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Whole-institution approaches to sustainability incorporating all areas of activity are not always sufficiently present. Such approaches can include teaching and learning; governance; research and innovation; and infrastructure, facilities and operations, and should engage learners, staff, parents, and local and wider communities.

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The potential and opportunity to complement and strengthen other education and training agendas needs to be further explored. Teaching and learning for the green transition and sustainable development can fully support policies and programmes for health, well-being and inclusion; active and global citizenship; solidarity; student-centred learning; research and innovation; and the digital transformation, including artificial intelligence (16).

20.

Integrating the education and training dimension systematically into other policies related to the green transition and sustainable development in a lifelong perspective can support implementation of those policies. It can also connect different sectors of society and the economy and embed sustainability effectively in education and training.

21.

This Recommendation fully respects the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. It recognises that the level of autonomy enjoyed by education and training institutions varies widely across Member States. In some Member States, education and training institutions, teacher education institutions, as well as teachers and trainers, enjoy a high degree of autonomy. The Recommendation will be implemented according to national circumstances and in cooperation with Member States.

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Within Europe, a growing number of people need to update and improve their knowledge, skills and competences to fill the gap between their formal education and training and the needs of a fast-changing society and labour market. The recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the digital and green transitions have accelerated the pace of change in how we live, learn and work. They have also highlighted the need for people to be better equipped to deal with current and future challenges. The pandemic has affected the career prospects of both young people and adults. It has also increased unemployment and damaged the physical, mental and emotional well-being of hundreds of millions of people in Europe.

2.

One of the major challenges facing European businesses and employers is an insufficient supply of relevant skills in the EU labour market. Simultaneously, workers are facing unprecedented changes in how work is organised. In addition, task profiles and skills requirements are changing fundamentally due to the digital and green transitions. As outlined in Council Decision (EU) 2021/1868 of 15 October 2021 on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States (1), ‘Member States and the Union are to work towards developing a coordinated strategy for employment and particularly for promoting a skilled, trained and adaptable workforce, as well as labour markets that are future-oriented and responsive to economic change’. Continuous upskilling and reskilling are essential for workers to respond to the needs of their current job or to transition to new jobs and expanding sectors, such as the green and digital sectors, in particular in the context of demographic ageing.

3.

People need access to quality teaching and learning provided in different ways and settings, to develop their personal, social, cultural and professional knowledge, skills and competences. There have been calls for education and training systems to become more flexible and to find solutions to deliver more learner-centred, accessible and inclusive learning to a wider range of profiles. Non-formal providers of education and training are also addressing this need by providing new and innovative opportunities for upskilling and reskilling.

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An effective culture of lifelong learning is key to ensuring that everyone has the knowledge, skills and competences they need to thrive in society, the labour market and their personal lives. It is essential that people can access quality and relevant education and training, upskilling and reskilling throughout their lives. Lifelong learning opportunities should be part of the long-term strategy of education and training institutions to improve their responsiveness to the fast-changing needs of employers and learners. This would enable a more diverse body of learners (including graduates of these institutions and other adult learners) to upskill and reskill. It is recommended that higher education institutions, vocational education and training (VET) institutions, adult learning providers and other providers of micro-credentials, including employers, cooperate and integrate the latest research findings in the design and update of learning opportunities.

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Micro-credentials could help certify the outcomes of small, tailored learning experiences. They make possible the targeted, flexible acquisition of knowledge, skills and competences to meet new and emerging needs in society and the labour market and make it possible for individuals to fill the skill gaps they need to succeed in a fast-changing environment, while not replacing traditional qualifications. They can, where appropriate, complement existing qualifications, providing added value while not undermining the core principle of full degree programmes in initial education and training. Micro-credentials could be designed and issued by a variety of providers in different learning settings (formal, non-formal and informal learning settings).

6.

Despite their increasing use, there is no common definition of, or standards for, micro-credentials in Europe. This limits the understanding and uptake of micro-credentials, and therefore undermines the potential of micro-credentials to facilitate flexible learning and career pathways. This recommendation aims to support the building of trust in micro-credentials across Europe among all those involved, whether providers or beneficiaries.

7.

In its first principle, the European Pillar of Social Rights (2) states that everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable people to participate fully in society and successfully manage transitions in the labour market, everywhere in the European Union. The fourth principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights states that everyone has the right to timely and tailor-made assistance to improve their employment or self-employment prospects. This right to assistance includes the right to receive support for training and re-qualification. The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan refers to micro-credentials as an innovative instrument that ‘can facilitate flexible learning pathways and support workers on their job or during professional transitions’. Micro-credentials can play a role in delivering on the EU’s headline targets to be achieved by 2030, including a target of 60 % of all adults participating in training every year and an employment rate of at least 78 %. Both these targets were welcomed by EU leaders, social partners and civil society, at the Porto Social Summit and then by the European Council at its meeting on 24-25 June 2021 (3).

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In parallel to the Action Plan, the Commission adopted a Recommendation on an effective active support to employment following the COVID-19 crisis (the ‘EASE’ Recommendation) (4). The Recommendation offers concrete policy guidance to Member States on developing coherent policy packages to ease job transitions and foster a job-rich recovery from COVID-19. The policy guidance covers upskilling and reskilling opportunities and support measures.

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The European Skills Agenda (5) announced, among its 12 flagship actions, a new initiative on a European approach to micro-credentials. This new initiative aims to support the quality, transparency and uptake of micro-credentials across the EU. The Skills Agenda also announced an initiative on individual learning accounts that could help close existing gaps in access to education and training for working age adults and enable people to manage labour market transitions successfully. Micro-credentials can be used as part of the education and training made available to people to underpin the operation of these individual learning accounts.

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The Commission Communication on achieving the European Education Area by 2025 (6) announced that the Commission will work to develop a European approach to micro-credentials to help widen learning opportunities and strengthen the role played in lifelong learning by both higher education institutions and VET institutions.

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The Council Recommendation on vocational education and training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (7) calls on the Commission to ‘explore the concept and use of micro-credentials’.

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The Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) (8) presents the exploration of the concept and use of micro-credentials as one of the concrete issues and actions for priority area 2 of the strategic framework (Lifelong learning and mobility).

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The Council conclusions on the European Universities initiative – Bridging higher education, research, innovation and society: Paving the way for a new dimension in European higher education (9) stress that ‘although not deviating from and undermining the core principle of full degree programmes, micro-credentials could help widen learning opportunities to accommodate non-traditional learners and the demand for new skills in the labour market; make the learning experience more flexible and modular; support access to higher education; and engage learners, regardless of their previous qualifications or backgrounds, promoting reskilling and upskilling opportunities, while ensuring quality education’.

14.

Ministers for Education of the European Higher Education Area committed in the Rome Communiqué of the inter-governmental Bologna Process (10) to help their higher education institutions to: (i) diversify their learning offer; and (ii) innovate in educational content and modes of delivery. In addition to full degree programmes, and while preserving their right to design study programmes and to regulate questions of credit transfer independently, many higher education institutions offer or plan to offer smaller units of learning. These smaller units can help learners to develop or update their cultural, professional, and transversal skills and competences at various stages in their lives. Cooperation under the Bologna Process will explore how, and to what extent, these smaller, flexible units of learning – including those leading to micro-credentials – can be defined, developed, implemented and recognised by using common tools.

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Education and training systems should cater for the diverse individual needs, abilities and capacities of all learners. They should also offer learning opportunities to all, including in non-formal and informal settings as underlined by the Council conclusions on equity and inclusion in education and training in order to promote educational success for all (11). Well-designed micro-credentials can be used as part of targeted measures to support inclusion and accessibility to education and training for a wider range of learners. This wider range of learners includes disadvantaged and vulnerable groups (such as people with disabilities, the elderly, low-qualified/skilled people, minorities, people with a migrant background, refugees and people with fewer opportunities because of their geographical location and/or their socio-economically disadvantaged situation). Micro-credentials can also be used to help better orient students and facilitate access to and success in learning and training and support the school-to-work transition. The expected growth in the number of refugees and asylum applicants will require the development of strategies to effectively integrate these groups into education, training and labour systems. Guidance and mutual learning across the EU in relation to the design and issuance of micro-credentials can foster inclusion and ensure that learners from all groups of society can access their benefits.

16.

Micro-credentials can also support the professional development and mobility of workers, including people in non-standard forms of work, such as those in the platform economy (12), who may have difficulties accessing training depending on their employment status (13).

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Micro-credentials could play an active role in delivering on EU policy initiatives to advance the digital and green transitions. Micro-credentials could: (i) underpin the goals of the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 (14) to help provide flexible, accessible learning opportunities for digital skills; and (ii) deliver on the targets of the Commission’s ‘2030 Digital Compass’ plan to develop a digitally skilled population and highly skilled digital professionals in Europe by 2030. Micro-credentials could also play a role in delivering on the European Green Deal (15), which is Europe’s growth strategy aiming to transform its economy and society and put them on a more sustainable path.

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The Council Recommendation on the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning and repealing the recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (16) provides a common reference framework to help people and organisations compare both different qualification systems and the levels of qualifications from those systems. As a European reference framework, the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is open to all types and levels of qualifications and represents the common standard reference for transparency, portability and comparability. The EQF is also open to micro-credentials if and where they are first included in national qualifications frameworks.

19.

The Council Recommendation of 20 December 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning (17) invited Member States to put in place by 2018 – according to national circumstances and specificities and as they deem appropriate – arrangements for validating non-formal and informal learning. These arrangements for validation mean that people can have validated the knowledge, skills and competences which they have acquired through non-formal and informal learning. These arrangements for validation also enable people to obtain a full qualification or, where applicable, a partial qualification. The 2020 evaluation of the Recommendation (18) called for greater development of the links between validation and micro-credentials.

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Decision (EU) 2018/646 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 April 2018 on a common framework for the provision of better services for skills and qualifications (Europass) and repealing Decision No 2241/2004/EC (19) sets out the basis for providing web-based tools enabling people to manage their career and lifelong learning with authentication services for credentials which make micro-credentials portable.

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The relevance, development and updating of micro-credentials depends on:

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This Recommendation fully respects the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, the principles of institutional autonomy and academic freedom, and the responsibility of the Member States for the content and organisation of education and vocational training in accordance with national circumstances, and in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders.

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This Recommendation is without prejudice to Directive 2005/36/EC as amended by Directive 2013/55/EU on the recognition of professional qualifications and the regime of automatic recognition provided therein,

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This experimentation, cooperation, governance and partnership is important for identifying needs for micro-credentials, co-developing micro-credentials, and updating micro-credentials, as well as for assessing the impact on upskilling and reskilling, lifelong learning and career development.

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(1)

A skilled workforce is crucial to strengthening the Union’s sustainable competitiveness, supporting a job-rich recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring socially fair digital and green transitions. As labour markets evolve, people need to keep pace by upgrading their skills. New and better skills open up more opportunities and equip people to play an active role in managing transitions in the labour market and participate fully in society, against the backdrop of demographic change. Moreover, adult upskilling and reskilling can be powerful tools in promoting social fairness and inclusion for a just transition.

(2)

Article 14(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights (1) states that everyone has the right to education and to have access to vocational and continuing training. The first principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights (the ‘Pillar’), jointly proclaimed by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on 17 November 2017 (2), states that everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the labour market. The fourth principle of the Pillar touches on active support for employment, to uphold everyone’s right to timely and tailor-made assistance to improve employment or self-employment prospects. The fifth principle of the Pillar, on secure and adaptable employment, emphasises that, regardless of the type and duration of the employment relationship, workers have the right to fair and equal treatment regarding working conditions, access to social protection and training.

(3)

On 25 June 2021, the European Council welcomed the Union headline targets of the European Pillar of Social Rights action plan, in line with the Porto Declaration of 8 May 2021, thereby supporting the ambition of ensuring that, by 2030, at least 60 % of all adults participate in training every year. However, participation in adult learning in the Union has stagnated over the last decade and 21 Member States fell short of the 2020 Union-level target. Taking that into account, the Council adopted the Resolution on a new European agenda for adult learning 2021-2030 (3) to support progress towards the Union adult learning headline target. For many adults, such as those in atypical forms of work, employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the unemployed, the inactive and the low-qualified, skills development opportunities are too often out of reach.

(4)

The European Skills Agenda, adopted by the Commission on 1 July 2020, calls for a skills revolution to turn the ecological and digital transitions into opportunities for a prompt and fair recovery. Inter alia, it announces that the Commission will explore individual learning accounts as a tool to support the upskilling and reskilling of working-age adults, complementing other actions targeting employers and the providers of education and training.

(5)

Skills for the green transition and the upskilling and reskilling of the workforce will be needed in the context of the shift to a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, as laid out under the European Green Deal, which aims for climate neutrality by 2050. The Commission communication of 14 July 2021‘Fit for 55’ recognises that the green transition can succeed only if the Union has the skilled workforce it needs to stay competitive and points to the flagship actions of the European Skills Agenda to equip people with the skills that are needed for the green and digital transitions.

(6)

The Commission communication of 9 March 2021 on Europe’s Digital Decade acknowledges the lack of staff with adequate digitals skills, as well as the gender imbalance among information and communication technology (ICT) specialists and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates. It reiterates the objective of ensuring that at least 80 % of the Union population have at least basic digital skills by 2030, and proposes a target of 20 million employed ICT specialists with convergence between women and men also by 2030. The Commission proposal of 15 September 2021 on the path to the Digital Decade suggests establishing a framework to take those objectives forward. The Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 of 30 September 2020 emphasises that technological means should be used to ease accessibility and strengthen flexibility of learning opportunities, including upskilling and reskilling.

(7)

The Commission communication of 10 March 2020 entitled ‘A New Industrial Strategy for Europe’ calls for decisive action to make lifelong learning a reality for all and to ensure that education and training keep pace with and help deliver the twin transitions.

(8)

The Council conclusions of 8 June 2020 (4) invite Member States, while taking into account national circumstances and respecting the role and autonomy of the social partners, to explore possible models for public and private financing of lifelong learning and the development of skills on an individual level, since sustainable funding is especially important in the context of the shortage of skilled labour, and to pay particular attention to vulnerable groups and low-skilled workers, and call on the Commission, in line with its competences, to support Member States in those efforts.

(9)

Insufficient financial support for individuals is one of the main barriers influencing participation in learning. Overall public and private investments are insufficient. Most job-related training in the Union is employer-sponsored. However, many companies, in particular SMEs, do not provide or fund training for their staff, and individuals in atypical work have less or no access to employer-sponsored training. Such inequalities could undermine individuals’ welfare and health, reduce economic competitiveness, result in missed opportunities and barriers to innovation and risk leaving people behind in the transition to more sustainable economic activities.

(10)

In addition to direct costs, time constraints are an important factor preventing adults from seeking training. While paid training leave arrangements exist in most Member States (5), the awareness and take-up of training leave by working-age adults are often low, and the arrangements often do not cover atypical workers or do not allow adults to seek education and training during periods of unemployment or low economic activity.

(11)

Many adults, especially among the low-qualified and those furthest from the labour market, are not motivated to take up training. They may not be aware of their own skills needs, and may not know whether support and training are available, or are of good quality and are recognised in the labour market. Furthermore, people may not be motivated to engage in training that has been chosen without consulting them and is not tailored to their needs.

(12)

A fresh approach on upskilling and reskilling is needed in the Union. It should complement existing instruments and follow up on political commitments by empowering individuals and by equipping them with the support and tools they need to upskill or reskill, at all skill levels.

(13)

In its opinion of 16 August 2021 on the Union initiative on individual learning accounts and strengthening training provision in Europe, the Advisory Committee on Vocational Training (ACVT) argues that such an initiative should contribute to more engagement, motivation and participation of adults in education and training. The main challenge is to improve the matching of skills and jobs and to ensure access to diversified quality training options through more relevant and better-targeted provision. The ACVT highlights in its opinion that the choice of financing mechanisms and tailored incentives by target group at national level should follow national needs and priorities.

(14)

One possible approach to addressing the problems outlined above is to provide people with direct support through training entitlements in individual learning accounts. It also entails the establishment of a broad enabling framework that grants individuals access to training opportunities, information, guidance, paid training leave and the recognition of training outcomes. This approach may complement existing initiatives at national level.

(15)

It is recommended that an individual training entitlement be defined at national level, in line with people’s training needs (6), and taking into account other existing instruments. Modulating funding according to the needs can increase the efficiency of the initiative. Member States may establish additional training entitlements for individuals most in need, depending on the national context and the changing labour market. For instance, Member States could top up individual learning accounts in strategic sectors (7), to support the green and digital transitions. In addition to financial entitlements, the relevance, usefulness and recognition of training are key factors affecting participation in upskilling and reskilling. It is also recommended that social partners and relevant stakeholders be consulted on these issues.

(16)

Individual learning accounts should allow people to accumulate and use training entitlements over a set period, to be defined at national level, so that they can take up longer or more costly training or train during economic downturns, in response to emerging skills needs. Individuals should be able to preserve their individual training entitlements independently of their labour force or professional status and across career changes. Member States are invited to establish rules for the expiry of entitlements that give learners an incentive to make full use of their entitlements.

(17)

The possibility of allowing the preservation of individual training entitlements during periods in which the individual lives in another Member State, or the use of individual training entitlements for accessing recognised and quality assured training from the national registry of their learning account from abroad, should be promoted. The transferability of entitlements between Member States is a desirable feature in the longer term, which needs further exploration, taking into account possible impacts on national labour markets.

(18)

To help individuals identify a suitable training pathway and thus increase their motivation to learn, access to career guidance and validation opportunities needs to be available. There is also a need for up-to-date public registries of recognised training through dedicated single national digital portals accessible to all, including people with disabilities, and, preferably, interconnected with the Europass platform.

(19)

It is recommended that individual learning accounts be used to access validation, including skills assessment opportunities. The recent evaluation by the Commission of work under the Council Recommendation of 20 December 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning (8) points to substantial progress, but also identifies persisting challenges and proposed responses. In particular, it is necessary to provide individuals with tailored support, and to ensure closer coordination with guidance services and effective tailoring of validation initiatives for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Member States are invited to encourage the provision of micro-credentials where relevant, on the basis of identified needs, in line with the Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability (9).

(20)

This Recommendation supports the implementation of paid training leave. The proper provision of paid training leave would allow workers to keep their salary or a replacement income during periods of training. Member States are invited to enter into dialogue with social partners on arrangements to allow employees to participate in training during working hours using their individual learning accounts, taking into account national training possibilities and schemes. In this regard, the situation of SMEs and micro-enterprises should also be taken into account.

(21)

Wider outreach and awareness-raising activities and campaigns are key to significantly enhancing the rates of adult participation in learning opportunities, in particular among groups with low awareness of upskilling and reskilling, such as those furthest from the labour market. Cooperation between public authorities, social partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, based on the common understanding that upskilling and reskilling are a means of investment, can increase the effectiveness of outreach and awareness-raising activities. Paying attention to accessibility should facilitate the participation of adults with disabilities.

(22)

Monitoring at national level, and the continuous improvement of the individual learning accounts and of the enabling framework, are key to supporting the implementation of this Recommendation. Subsequent adjustments could concern the amount of individual training entitlements, the priority groups or the user-friendly integration of the various elements of the enabling framework.

(23)

Adequate funding is a key feature of successful schemes for individual learning accounts. A national scheme of individual learning accounts could facilitate cost-sharing between various funding sources, such as public authorities, employers and funds managed by social partners, by allowing various funding sources to contribute to the individual learning account. A combination of public and private funding sources should ensure the sustainability of the initiative in the Member States, which is fundamental for its success. Such a combination of funding sources facilitates the modulation of support and top-ups by employers for their employees, either voluntarily or as an outcome of collective bargaining agreements.

(24)

Union funds which support adult learning schemes, such as the European Social Fund Plus (10), the European Regional Development Fund (11) and the Just Transition Fund (12), as well as, where relevant, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (13) under Next Generation EU and tailor-made expertise through the Technical Support Instrument (14), can support the establishment of individual learning accounts and their enabling framework. Mutual learning, facilitated by the Commission, can also support the process.

(25)

This Recommendation is without prejudice to the exclusive competence of the Member States and to the distribution of competences within each Member State at national, regional or local level with regard to financing, as well as to the organisation and content of their adult learning and training systems. It does not prevent the Member States from maintaining or establishing provisions on adult learning and training other than, or more advanced than, those recommended in this Recommendation.

(26)

Member States should involve social partners and all relevant stakeholders including civil society organisations, in the design of reforms. This Recommendation fully respects the autonomy of the social partners, including where they are responsible for setting up and managing training schemes.

(27)

The measures outlined in this Recommendation do not replace, and are not intended to interfere with, the provision of training by employers, public and private employment services or other education and training providers, nor should they replace public support for education and training institutions or other types of support. Additional administrative burden should be minimised,

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It is recommended that frontier workers and self-employed persons who work in a Member State other than the Member State where they legally reside be covered in the Member State where they work.

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Career guidance and validation

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A national registry of eligible quality training, career guidance and validation opportunities

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Single national digital portal supporting individual learning accounts

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Paid training leave

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(1)

Greenhouse gas emissions need to be urgently reduced, in particular to decrease sea level rise and the likelihood of extreme weather events that already affect every region across the globe (1) and to reduce the economic and social costs associated with the effects of global warming (2). The Union and its Member States are Parties to the Paris Agreement adopted on 15 December 2015 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (‘the Paris Agreement’) (3), which binds its Parties to holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

(2)

Climate change and environmental degradation pose severe threats that require urgent action, as reaffirmed most recently by the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the Physical Science Basis. Human suffering and economic losses stemming from more frequent climate-related extreme events, such as floods, heatwaves, droughts and forest fires, are becoming more common. In the Union, those losses already average over EUR 12 billion per year (4).

Those losses could reach an additional EUR 175 billion, which is 1.38 % of Union GDP, per year if global warming reaches 3°C above pre-industrial levels, as opposed to EUR 65 billion for 2°C and EUR 36 billion per year for 1.5°C. This would disproportionately harm certain groups, notably people already in vulnerable situations and regions already facing challenges.

(3)

The communication from the Commission of 11 December 2019 entitled ‘The European Green Deal’ (the ‘European Green Deal’) sets out the strategy for the Union to become the first climate-neutral continent and transform the Union into a sustainable, fairer and more prosperous society that respects the planetary boundaries. The need for a fair transition is an integral part of the European Green Deal, which underlined that no person and no place should be left behind. The European Climate Law (5) sets out a binding Union-wide objective of climate neutrality by 2050 and a binding intermediate target of a net domestic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 55 % by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The 8th Environment Action Programme to 2030 (6) aims to accelerate the green transition to a climate-neutral, sustainable, non-toxic, resource-efficient, renewable energy-based, resilient and competitive circular economy in a just, equitable and inclusive way, and to protect, restore and improve the state of the environment.

(4)

In light of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the communication from the Commission of 18 May 2022 entitled ‘REPowerEU Plan’ (the ‘REPowerEU Plan’), in line with the Versailles Declaration of 10 and 11 March 2022, sets out measures to phase out the Union’s dependence on fossil fuels from Russia by diversifying gas supplies and accelerating the reduction of the dependence on fossil fuels, including through rolling out solar, wind and heat pumps, decarbonising industry, and enabling faster permitting of renewable energy projects.

(5)

The transformation to a climate neutral economy and society requires comprehensive policy action and substantial investment across many areas, such as climate action, energy, transport, environment, industry, research and innovation (7). To deliver on the binding Union-level target for 2030, on 14 July 2021 the Commission issued a communication entitled ‘“Fit for 55”: delivering the EU’s 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality’ as well as a number of related legislative proposals (‘the “Fit for 55” package’). The ‘Fit for 55’ package includes proposals to update relevant legislation, including the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) (8), the energy taxation, energy efficiency and renewable energy Directives, the CO2 emission performance standards Regulation for cars and vans, the Regulation on the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry, the Directive on alternative fuels infrastructure, and the effort sharing Regulation (ESR) with respect to sectors outside the current EU ETS, namely transport and building sectors.

It also includes proposals for new legislation, notably to support the use of cleaner fuels in the aviation and maritime transport sectors, as well as to establish a carbon border adjustment mechanism and to establish a Social Climate Fund, which is directly related to the proposed introduction of emissions trading system for fuels used in buildings and road transport. The ‘Fit for 55’ package, combined with measures taken at Union level to support and incentivise the necessary public and private investments, is aimed to help support and accelerate the growth of new markets, for instance for clean fuels and low-emission vehicles, thereby driving down the costs of the sustainable transition for businesses and citizens alike.

(6)

At its meeting on 20 June 2019, the European Council committed, in its ‘A New Strategic Agenda 2019-2024’, to ensure a fair transition towards climate neutrality that is inclusive and leaves nobody behind. At the international level, Member States have endorsed the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and ratified the Paris Agreement, which refer to the imperatives of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs, as well as the need for adaptation and capacity-building to be gender responsive. Guidelines from the International Labour Organization provide an internationally established policy framework for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all (9). Furthermore, 54 signatories (countries and social partners) endorsed the ‘Solidarity and Just Transition Silesia Declaration’ (10), which was adopted at the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC in Katowice, including the Commission, on behalf of the Union, and 21 individual Member States. The Union and 10 Member States signed the Declaration ‘Supporting the Conditions for a Just Transition Internationally’, adopted at the 26th COP to the UNFCCC in Glasgow, committing to include information on just transition in Biennial Transparency Reports in the context of reporting on their policies and measures to achieve their Nationally Determined Contributions.

(7)

Fairness and solidarity are defining principles of the Union’s policies towards the green transition and a requisite for its broad and sustained public support. The European Green Deal stresses that the transition must be fair and inclusive, putting people first and paying particular attention to supporting those regions, industries, workers, households and consumers that will face the greatest challenges. Moreover, the communication from the Commission of 14 January 2020 entitled ‘A Strong Social Europe for Just Transitions’ emphasises that implementing the European Green Deal will give Europe the tools to strive for more when it comes to upward convergence, social fairness and shared prosperity. The communication from the Commission of 23 February 2022 on decent work worldwide for a global just transition and a sustainable recovery puts the promotion of decent work worldwide at the heart of a just transition and an inclusive, sustainable and resilient recovery from the pandemic.

(8)

The communication from the Commission of 4 March 2021 entitled ‘The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan’ (11) highlights that unity, coordination and solidarity are needed to move forward towards a greener and more digital decade in which Europeans can thrive. It proposed three EU headline targets for 2030, namely: that at least 78 % of the population aged 20 to 64 should be in employment by 2030 (12); that at least 60 % of all adults should participate in training every year (13); and that the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion should be reduced by at least 15 million by 2030 (14). Those 2030 headline targets were welcomed by Union leaders in the Porto Declaration of 8 May 2021 at the informal meeting of heads of state or government in Porto on 7-8 May 2021 and by the European Council in its conclusions of 24-25 June 2021.

(9)

With the right accompanying polices in place (15), the green transition could in aggregate create around 1 million additional quality jobs (16) in the Union by 2030 and 2 million by 2050 (17), in sectors such as construction, information and communication technologies (‘ICT’) or renewable energy, while mitigating the protracted decline in middle-skilled jobs as a result of automation and digitisation. However, in a pessimistic scenario, the impacts of the green transition towards climate neutrality if not supported by an adequate policy mix could imply GDP losses of up to 0.39 % in the Union, and job losses of up to 0.26 % (18).

(10)

The impacts of the green transition on business and employment will vary by sector, occupation, region and country, implying job changes within sectors and industrial ecosystems, as well as large labour reallocations across them (19). Restructuring and adjustment in the companies, sectors and ecosystems concerned require the development of new business models and large labour reallocations across sectors and regions. For instance, job losses are expected in some mining activities or fossil-fuel based energy production, as well as in parts of the automotive sector. Conversely, new job opportunities are expected in circular value retention activities and sustainable transport and energy production. Member States should therefore follow granular approaches, focusing on the individual regions and ecosystems concerned, in liaison with social partners and/or local and regional authorities and stakeholders.

(11)

By creating quality job opportunities for everyone while taking measures to alleviate and prevent energy and transport poverty, the green transition can contribute to raising incomes and reducing inequalities and poverty overall (20). It can thus help tackle pre-existing socio-economic inequalities and social exclusion, improving health and well-being, and promoting equality, including gender equality. Particular attention should go to certain population groups, notably those in already vulnerable situations. This includes notably low- and lower-middle income households, who spend a high share of their income in essential services such as energy, transport and housing, as well as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Modelling results show that whether environmental taxes are progressive or regressive will depend largely on instrument design, including, for example, the extent to which income tax cuts or other revenue recycling options are targeted at lower income earners (21).

(12)

Circular value retention activities, including repair, re-use, remanufacturing and servitisation business models, can foster affordable and sustainable access to goods and services. They also generate jobs and opportunities at various skill levels, including for women, persons with disabilities and groups in vulnerable situations, through social economy entities active in those areas. By promoting product circularity, they reduce carbon emissions vastly, while the jobs created are in proximity to the products that need to be maintained, refurbished or shared.

(13)

According to the latest available data in the EU statistics on income and living conditions for 2019/2020, energy poverty affected about 8 % of the Union population, that is more than 35 million people, who were unable to keep their homes adequately warm, with significant differences between Member States and between income groups (22). Overall, the Energy Poverty Observatory estimates, based on a combination of indicators, that more than 50 million households in the Union experience energy poverty (23). Energy poverty, resulting from a combination of low income, a high share of disposable income spent on energy and poor energy efficiency, has been a major challenge for the Union for some time. Furthermore, the risk of energy poverty increases with high and volatile energy prices, which are driven by a number of factors including those related to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the subsequent Union policy response. This form of poverty affects not only low-income households, but also lower middle-income households in many Member States.

Households with above-average energy needs, which include families with children, including those headed by single parents, persons with disabilities, and older persons, are also more susceptible to energy poverty (24) and to its effects. Women, and in particular those who are single parents and older women (25), are also particularly affected by energy poverty. In addition to energy poverty, the concept of transport poverty is increasingly recognised where certain categories of population are unable to attain a socially and materially necessitated level of transport services. Without the right accompanying measures to alleviate and prevent energy and transport poverty, those forms of poverty are at risk of being exacerbated notably due to the internalisation of emissions costs in price formation or to the costs of adaptation towards higher-efficiency, lower-emission alternatives.

(14)

Principles of social fairness, cohesion and solidarity are firmly built into the design of relevant climate, energy and environmental frameworks at Union level, including via the ‘polluter pays principle’ and effort sharing between Member States, as well as in some redistribution of EU ETS allowances for the purposes of solidarity, growth and interconnections within the Union and their use for the Modernisation Fund, which contributes to the significant investment needs of lower-income Member States to modernise their energy systems. Moreover, the framework of Union energy legislation provides Member States with tools to ensure the protection of energy poor and vulnerable household customers while avoiding market distortions. While those tools help in facilitating the green transition, they are intended to provide the means to ensure the necessary protection more generally, as shown for instance by the communication from the Commission of 13 October 2021 entitled ‘Tackling rising energy prices: a toolbox for action and support’ and the REPowerEU Plan.

(15)

Member States have a range of tools at their disposal to outline and coordinate their actions for a fair transition. National energy and climate plans (NECPs) prepared in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council (26) should assess the number of households in energy poverty and outline the measures needed to address the social and territorial implications of the energy transition. Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs) prepared in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/1056 of the European Parliament and of the Council (27) should identify the territories eligible for support under the Just Transition Fund up to 2027. Funded by NextGenerationEU, national recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) prepared in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council (28) set reforms and investments to foster the green transition, inclusive growth, social and territorial cohesion, resilience and prospects for the next generation, with an implementation horizon up to 2026. Some actions for a fair transition are also implemented in the context of other programmes and initiatives, in particular the Cohesion policy funds.

(16)

Building on the principles and policies of the European Green Deal and the European Pillar of Social Rights in particular, there is scope to enhance the design of policies in a comprehensive and cross cutting manner and to ensure the coherence of spending efforts, at Union and national level. In the communication from the Commission of 17 September 2020 entitled ‘An EU-wide assessment of National Energy and Climate Plans Driving forward the green transition and promoting economic recovery through integrated energy and climate planning’, the Commission, while recognising that the final NECPs provide some indicators and policies on energy poverty, concluded that they do not always provide a clear prioritisation of funding needs for a fair transition, nor for reskilling and upskilling or for supporting labour market adjustments. The TJTPs should focus on selected territories and thus are not expected to lay out an overall strategy and policies for a fair transition at national level. While the reforms and investments they support and help finance are designed to provide lasting impact, both TJTPs and RRPs are limited in time.

(17)

A fair transition towards climate neutrality in the Union by 2050 will ensure that no one is left behind, in particular workers and households most affected by the green transition, and notably those already in vulnerable situations. To that end, as set out in this Recommendation, Member States should put in place comprehensive policy packages (29), strengthen cross-cutting elements that promote fair green transition, and make optimal use of public and private funding. The policy packages should consider the people and households that are most affected by the green transition, notably by job losses but also by changing working conditions and/or new task requirements on the job, as well as those subject to adverse impacts on disposable incomes, expenditure, and access to essential services. As part of the most affected groups, policy packages should, in particular, but not only, consider people and households in vulnerable situations, notably people furthest away from the labour market, for instance due to their skills, territorial labour market conditions, or other characteristics, such as sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. Moreover, people and households in vulnerable situations may include those living in or at risk of poverty and/or energy poverty, facing barriers to mobility, or an overburden of housing costs, including households headed by single parents, which are more often women than men. Policy packages should be adapted to local circumstances, taking into account the needs of the most vulnerable and remote parts of the Union, including the outermost regions and islands.

(18)

Active support to quality employment should focus on helping workers, job seekers, people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) and the self-employed most affected by the green transition. In particular, under-represented people such as women, low-skilled workers, persons with disabilities, older people or people with comparatively low capacities to adapt to changes in the labour market require support to improve their employability and for finding employment, in line with Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/402 (30). Building on previous policy guidance, in particular that Recommendation and Council Decisions (EU) 2020/1512 (31) and (EU) 2021/1868 (32), policy packages should thus include tailored measures to support hiring and transition incentives, support for entrepreneurship, in particular for women or persons with disabilities, and quality job creation measures, in particular for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and in most affected territories. Such measures, combined with adequate Union support, can also be instrumental in addressing challenges for the labour market, such as those stemming from the influx of Ukrainian refugees, in particular in the most affected Member States. They should also foster the effective implementation and enforcement of existing rules on working conditions and support for socially responsible restructuring in line with existing rules and standards. Social partners have a vital role to play in contributing to addressing, through dialogue, the employment and social consequences of the challenges of the green transition.

(19)

Access to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning for all is essential for ensuring that the workforce has the skills required to deliver on the green transition. Fair transition aspects should thus be integrated in the development and implementation of national skills strategies, taking into consideration the proposals made by the Commission in the ‘European Skills Agenda’ (33) and the ‘Updated New Industrial Strategy’ (34). Skills partnerships under the Pact for Skills will also be an important lever. Up-to-date labour market and skills intelligence and foresight, including at regional, sectoral and occupational levels, allow for the identification and forecasting of relevant occupation-specific and transversal skills needs, including as a basis for adapting curricula to meet the skills needs for the green transition. Vocational education and training should equip young people and adults, with a particular focus on women and low-skilled workers, with the skills needed to master the green transition, in accordance with Council Recommendation 2020/C 417/01 (35).

Apprenticeships and paid traineeships, including strong training components, in particular for young people, contribute to labour market transitions, notably towards activities contributing to climate and environmental objectives, and sectors facing particular skills shortages. Increasing adult participation in lifelong learning should be promoted to meet upskilling and reskilling needs, inter alia, by empowering individuals to seek training that is tailored to their needs and, where appropriate, via short, quality-assured courses on skills for the green transition, taking into consideration Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 (36), which aims to make it easier to value and recognise the outcomes of such courses.

(20)

The composition of tax-benefit systems and social protection systems should be examined against the specific needs stemming from the green transition, reflecting also the ‘polluter pays principle’ and the need that accompanying policies do not introduce subsidies to fossil fuels consumption, do not lock in consumers to a specific technology, do not decrease incentives for building renovations and thermal energy system substitutions and do not decrease incentives within general energy efficiency measures. A combination of various policies can support the most vulnerable households and workers most affected by the green transition. Depending on the national and individual situation, this could, for instance, involve a shift of taxation away from labour and towards climate and environmental objectives as envisaged in the proposal for revision of the Energy Taxation Directive (37), a review of unemployment schemes and/or temporary and targeted direct income support, where necessary. Social protection systems, including social inclusion policies, can be reviewed and, where applicable, adapted in light of the green transition, in particular to provide for income security, notably during job-to-job transitions, and to provide adequate social, health and care services through adequate social infrastructure, notably in most affected territories, for instance rural and remote areas, such as the outermost regions, in order to prevent social exclusion, and address health risks. To prevent and combat social exclusion of children, investments in social infrastructure for children aim to ensure access to key services for children in need, as set out in Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/1004 (38).

(21)

To build physical and financial resilience to the irreversible impacts of climate change in an inclusive manner, risk-awareness, risk reduction and risk-transfer solutions need to be promoted, in particular by increasing the availability of insurance solutions and by investing in disaster risk-management and adaptation to reduce the physical impacts of climate change, thereby reducing losses, as well as the climate protection gap, taking into account micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as rural and remote areas, such as the outermost regions and islands. Disaster risk-management including civil protection systems at national and Union level should be reinforced to better prevent, prepare for and respond to climate-related shocks.

(22)

Everyone has the right to access essential services of good quality, including energy, transport, water, sanitation, financial services and digital communications, and support for equal access to such services should be made available to those in need (39). Furthermore, access to social housing or housing assistance of good quality should be provided for those in need (40). In addition, low and medium income households, vulnerable customers, including final users, people facing or risking energy poverty and people living in social housing, can benefit from the application of the ‘energy efficiency first principle’. In addition to protecting and empowering energy consumers, specific measures are needed to prevent and tackle the root causes of energy poverty, in particular by promoting investments targeted at energy efficiency improvements, notably in the social housing sector. The proposed updates of the Energy Efficiency Directive (41) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (42) are also intended to tackle the main non-economic barriers to renovation such as split incentives, including owner-tenant settings, and co-ownership structures. In this context, specific attention should be paid to women and particular groups which are more at risk of being affected by energy poverty, such as persons with disabilities, single parents, elderly people, children, and persons with a minority racial or ethnic background.

Pre-existing and emerging mobility challenges can be tackled through support measures and the development of the necessary infrastructure, such as public transport. The affordability, accessibility and safety of sustainable mobility and different modes of transport, including private and public transport, are key to ensuring everyone benefits from and is part of the green transition. Urban mobility plays a significant role in this context, as also reflected by the communication from the Commission of 14 December 2021 entitled ‘The New EU Urban Mobility Framework’.

(23)

A whole-of-society approach to the fair transition should support policy action, based on the coordination of policy-making and strengthened operational capacities at all levels and across all relevant policy areas, giving also an active role to regional and local authorities. It should also be based on the involvement of social partners at all levels and stages, as well as an effective and impactful participation of civil society and stakeholders. Such coordination and engagement could ensure that the European Green Deal principles of fairness and solidarity are integrated in policy design, implementation and monitoring from the outset, providing the basis for broad and long-term support for inclusive policies advancing the green transition.

(24)

A strong evidence base is key to putting in place sound social and labour market policies that ensure a fair and inclusive transition. To that end, the gradual harmonisation and consistency of definitions, concepts, classifications and methodologies, notably based on Commission Recommendation (EU) 2020/1563 (43), facilitate assessments and their comparability. Further research and innovation actions can contribute to the knowledge base that may feed into policy and public discourse. In turn, exchanges with the public in all its diversity and with key stakeholders, for instance on the outcomes of evaluations, foresight and monitoring exercises, can contribute to policy-making and ownership.

(25)

Appropriate granular and high quality, sex-disaggregated data and indicators are needed in particular to assess the employment, social and distributional impacts of climate change policies. Such data and indicators are currently not fully available. For instance, while some progress has been made on the measurement of energy poverty, indicators to assess transport poverty could be developed in accordance with national circumstances. Monitoring and evaluation can be strengthened via a number of actions, focussing on indicators, scoreboards as well as small-scale pilot projects and policy experimentation. Actions should build on, or draw from, existing scoreboards such as the Social Scoreboard and the European Green Deal dashboard, which contain relevant information on specific aspects of fair transition policies.

(26)

The optimal and efficient use of public and private funding and the mobilisation of all available resources and their effective deployment are of particular importance in light of the significant investment needs stemming from the green transition. At Union level, relevant actions are supported through the Union budget and NextGenerationEU. They will be implemented under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM), including the Just Transition Fund (JTF), the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund, the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe (REACT-EU), ERASMUS+ and the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF), the LIFE programme, the Horizon Europe programme, the Modernisation and Innovation Funds (44) and the funds under the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP). In addition, the Commission supports Member States through the Technical Support Instrument, by providing tailor-made technical expertise to design and implement reforms, including those promoting a fair transition towards carbon neutrality.

(27)

The European Semester is the Union economic and employment policy coordination framework. It will continue to play this role in the recovery phase and in advancing the green and digital transitions, structured around the four dimensions of competitive sustainability, supporting the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. Under the European Semester, the Commission will monitor socio-economic outcomes and impacts closely and where relevant, propose targeted country-specific recommendations to ensure that no one is left behind. Complementarity with the measures supported under the Recovery and Resilience Facility will be a priority. The monitoring of this Recommendation will therefore take place as appropriate in the context of the European Semester including in the framework of the relevant committees, within their respective fields of competences, based on adequate assessments, policy impact evaluations, and the state of implementation of the guidance provided in this Recommendation. The monitoring arrangement will not add unnecessary administrative burdens for Member States.

(28)

Moreover, as part of the draft and final update of their NECPs in 2023 and 2024, respectively, in accordance with Article 14 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999, Member States should draw on this Recommendation to consider mainstreaming employment, social and distributional impact assessments and fair transition aspects across the five dimensions of the Energy Union, and further enhance policy measures for addressing those impacts, with a particular focus on energy poverty.

(29)

Furthermore, the monitoring of the implementation of this Recommendation can build on existing evidence in the context of established multilateral surveillance processes, such as the European Semester. The Council or the Commission can request the Employment Committee and the Social Protection Committee, in accordance with Articles 150 and 160 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, respectively, and in cooperation with other relevant committees, in particular the Economic Policy Committee, to examine in their respective area of competence the implementation of this Recommendation on the basis of adequate reporting by the Commission and other multilateral surveillance tools. Also against this background, the Commission is working to enhance data availability, disaggregated by sex, to update and use existing frameworks and methodological guidance, including for the measurement of energy and transport poverty and environmental inequalities, and for evaluating the effectiveness and actual impact of policy measures,

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in the merger section of the ‘Competition policy’ website of the Commission (http://ec.europa.eu/competition/mergers/cases/). This website provides various facilities to help locate individual merger decisions, including company, case number, date and sectoral indexes,

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in electronic form on the EUR-Lex website (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/homepage.html?locale=en) under document number 32021M10251. EUR-Lex is the online point of access to European Union law.

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Issuing of a marketing authorisation (Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council): Accepted