| Summary: | Since the 2000s, the European Union has proclaimed itself a forerunner of climate change mitigation
and adaptation policies. The EU has adopted extremely ambitious targets and objectives ever since, with a
view to accomplishing its transformation into a low-carbon economy. In the current context of instability and
crisis, the climate policies and the structural reform decisions, mainly in the energy and manufacturing sectors,
seem to bear on the international competitiveness of the European economy and on the living standards of a
large number of the European citizens. From another perspective, the wave of crises that hit the European
economy might be interpreted as a window of opportunity for the governments and businesses to promote
innovative solutions in order to leapfrog from energy intensive industries towards more performant, higher
value-adding ones. The present article will expound the EU low-carbon economy model and the main policies
it suggested, as well as the challenges and risks that occur in this tense context.
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