Just Transition in the Car Industry

Cars account for about 20 per cent of Europe’s current CO₂ emissions. To achieve the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, a transformation of the automobile industry is necessary. The industry accounts for almost 14 million jobs in the EU and is a key economic sector in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Therefore, pathways need to be identified that ensure the support of all affected stakeholders. Despite its urgency, this transformation is still at the very beginning.

To drive the transformation forward, the project implemented a number of measures across the six partner countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Hungary, Poland and Germany. First, a group was formed to facilitate dialogue between stakeholders. The project viewed dialogue among all participants as the foundation for further steps towards a climate-neutral transport sector.  Based on the recommendations made by the dialogue group, the project then conducted co-creation workshops in which stakeholders, following the bottom-up principle, identified pathways towards this transition. In the third step, the project developed policy recommendations for the target countries and the EU based on the interviews and workshops. Finally, the project ensured that the topics and results of these measures were communicated to other stakeholders and the general public through press articles, video clips and a conference in Brussels.

The project serves as a starting point for the development and implementation of fair and climate-friendly transition strategies in the automotive sector. It has provided policymakers with the impetus to address the challenges of structural change and take action. In the long term, it will influence academic and political discourse, thereby helping to ensure that climate targets are achieved through a just transition in the European automotive industry.

• Dialogue for a just transition in the automotive industry: A highlight of the project was the conference "Just Transition: Where is the European car industry heading?" on 12 May 2022 in Brussels, organised with partners from Croatia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany. For the first time, it brought together representatives from industry, environmental NGOs, science, trade unions from Central and Eastern Europe and policy makers from the European Commission and Parliament for an equal, co-creative dialogue. Key issues for the future of the industry were discussed in presentations and workshops – from fair transformation and reskilling to electrification and regional differences. The format enabled a genuine understanding of the different perspectives and showed that active dialogue is the basis for sustainable solutions. 
• Sensitisation of key players: A total of 139 policy makers at all levels, companies, trade unions, civil society groups and other key actors were sensitised to the need for a socially just transformation of the automotive industry. The conference deliberately focussed on direct engagement with diverging positions and used methods such as deep listening to create an understanding of lines of conflict. The consistently positive feedback from participants proves that well-moderated dialogue strengthens a sense of responsibility and motivates key actors to actively shape change. 
• Policy recommendations and strategic basis for decision-making: Based on expert interviews and co-creation workshops, the project developed policy recommendations for seven countries (Croatia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Germany) and for the EU. A total of seven country reports and a comparative analysis were produced, the results of which were discussed at the conference and beyond. The reports identify the most urgent transformation issues, highlight possible courses of action and serve as a sound basis for decision-making for political institutions, trade unions and industry in order to shape the transformation of the automotive industry in a socially just and sustainable manner.