4I-TRACTION

To achieve climate neutrality by 2050, EU policy will have to be reoriented. It needs work simultaneously towards climate neutrality across the economy rapidly enough to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals, while delivering on a broad range of issues, from competitiveness and productivity to employment and health. The concept of the European Green Deal captures this overarching narrative. However, to mobilise the creative, financial and political resources to achieve the required degree of technological, economic and behavioural change, the EU also needs a governance framework that facilitates cross-sectoral policy integration and allows citizens, public and private stakeholders to participate in the process and to own the results. 4I-TRACTION analyses what transformative climate policy could look like for the EU. Based on a stocktake of existing climate policies and their performance, it will spell out a number of policy avenues and an overarching governance framework, to describe how the current mix of EU climate and energy policies needs to evolve in the 2020s to set course for climate neutrality by 2050. The analysis will be structured around four cross-cutting core challenges, the “4 I’s”: 1) fostering breakthrough Innovation, 2) shifting Investment and finance, 3) rolling out the Infrastructure for a climate-neutral and resilient economy, and 4) Integrating solutions across sectors. This structure reflects that a systemic transformation will need to evolve beyond sectoral policy approaches. Incorporating scientific insights and policies from outside the EU as well as examining how the EU’s efforts interact with those of other key countries, the analysis will also include the global context. The analysis will be thoroughly grounded in science, but also aligned with the EU's dynamic political environment. To receive input, provide feedback and validate conclusions, the project will closely engage with a broad set of stakeholders throughout its lifespan.