Socio-Economic Inclusion in the Context of the Just Transition and the European Green Deal: An Analysis of Governance and Political Discourse in the European Union and Romania

Abstract

The transition towards climate neutrality promoted through the European Green Deal is redefining the relationship between environmental policy, economic development and social cohesion in the European Union. Within this context, socio-economic inclusion has become a central principle of the European normative architecture. This article examines how socio-economic inclusion is conceptualised and integrated into the European Commission’s strategic documents and Romania’s national public policies, as well as how it is discursively constructed at the European and national levels. The research adopts a qualitative design based on document analysis and critical discourse analysis. The findings demonstrate that, at the European level, socio-economic inclusion is articulated as a constitutive normative principle of the green transition, incorporating the dimensions of solidarity, equity and territorial cohesion. By contrast, in national discourse and strategic documents, inclusion is often incorporated into a predominantly economic and investment-oriented framework, with emphasis placed on modernisation and the absorption of European funds. This discursive and institutional asymmetry may influence the coherence of implementation and the effectiveness of measures intended for vulnerable communities.