Cohesion policy and the EU's response to climate change challenges

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the role of European cohesion policy (ECP) in tackling the negative effects of climate change, and to answer the research question of whether a just transition towards climate neutrality is possible. The study comprised an analysis of data about ECP spending, literature review of relevant regulatory documents, studies and reports. The results of this research suggest that the issue of climate change mitigation has been placed among key priorities of ECP since 2014. This conclusion is supported by a comprehensive set of data. The results confirm that the EU funds constitute an important source of climate related investments in Poland. The design of ECP and its instruments, if used appropriately, can help to make the “green transition” more fair.

Keywords

• European cohesion policy
• climate change
• low carbon economy