University of Groningen, The Netherlands

In the framework of the "Second International Conference on New Pathways for a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition: Connecting Multiple Stakeholders and Levels" hosted by the University of Groningen, the EERA JP e3s, coordinated by Alessandro Sciullo (University of Turin), has organized a roundtable discussion about "Challenges and policy recommendations for Just Energy Transition in EU".

 Panel members:

1. Ganna Gadlkyh (European Energy Research Alliance, EERA, Belgium)
2. Witold-Roger Poganietz (Karlsruhe Institue of Technology, KIT, Germany)
3. Giuseppe Pellegrini (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Norway)
4. Rita Vasconcellos D'Oliveira Bouman (SINTEF, Norway)
5. Ramazan Sari (Technical University of Denmark, DTU, Denmark)

For JET to be fostered in the EU context, it needs to be supported by adequate policies that should be able to address the many diverse dimensions of justice and the many diverse social and institutional contexts resulting from the heterogeneity of the EU landscape and the historical evolution of the context themselves

Energy system transformations in fact are complex socio-technical processes involving not only changes to energy technologies but also to the broader social and economic aspects of energy production and consumption. These energy transformations could negatively affect the people that they pursue to serve, exacerbating current vulnerabilities and creating new ones. Therefore, striving for a more equitable distribution of benefits and burdens and ensuring that vulnerable groups are not disproportionately harmed is increasingly seen as a crucial success factor for a just transition. On these premises, the Joint Programme EERA - e3s (clean Energy tranSition for a Sustainable Society) released a white paper on Just Energy Transition (JET) addressing both theoretical and policy challenges for the justice dimension to be properly considered and implemented in the EU energy transition pathways. Within the white paper, JET is intended in the exclusive sense of the European socioeconomic and environmental consequences and their ethical implications of transitioning from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources.

The white paper (and the proposed round table) is structured in four sections aimed at answering to as many questions.

• Question 1: what is JET and why is needed?
• Question 2: What are the main challenges towards achieving a JET in Europe?
• Question 3: What are the current EU policies addressing JET?
• Question 4: Which policies to steer the JET in EU?

You can register for this roundtable by sending an email at ICNP2023@rug.nl