El plan de recuperación español: una valoración de su contribución a la transición verde en la Unión Europea
| Autor | Beatriz Pérez de las Heras |
| Cargo | Professor of European Union Law at the University of Deusto |
| Páginas | 6-23 |
Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional
Gestión y Análisis de Políticas Públicas, número 33, noviembre de 2023
Sección: ARTÍCULOS
Recibido: 23-03-2023
Modicado: 11-09-2023
Aceptado: 11-09-2023
Prepublicado: 09-10-2023
Publicado: 03-11-2023
ISSN: 1989-8991 – DOI: https://doi.org/10.24965/gapp.11207
Páginas: 6-23
Referencia: Pérez de las Heras, B. (2023). The Spanish recovery plan: assessing its contribution to the green transition in the
European Union. Gestión y Análisis de Políticas Públicas, 33, 6-23. https://doi.org/10.24965/gapp.11207
ARTÍCULOS 6
The Spanish recovery plan: assessing its contribution to the green
transition in the European Union 1 - 2
El plan de recuperación español: una valoración de su contribución
a la transición verde en la Unión Europea
Pérez de las Heras, Beatriz
University of Deusto (España – Spain)
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4402-2925
beatriz.perez@deusto.es
NOTA BIOGRÁFICA
Beatriz Pérez de las Heras is Professor of European Union Law at the University of Deusto. PhD in Law,
she accomplished post-graduate studies at the Centre Européen Universitaire of Nancy. Editor-in-Chief of
Deusto Journal of European Studies, her current research interests are chiefly focused on the European
Union (EU)’s climate change and energy policy and EU’s role as an international actor.
ABSTRACT
Background: The Next Generation EU (NGEU) is the primary financial instrument of the European Union’s
post-COVID recovery policy. In particular, this major stimulus package is being used as an opportunity
to accelerate the process of decarbonisation and reinforce climate policies. The article analyses Spain’s
recovery plan and assess its potential contribution to the EU’s environmental and sustainability goals.
Method: the study is drawn on a combination of academic literature, legal instruments and EU institutions
and Spanish Government documents. The approach is mainly analytical. Results: NGEU funds provide
Spain with the opportunity to undertake profound changes to construct a more resilient economic model.
The green transition is the main axis of the Spanish recovery plan, with almost 40 % of resources allocated
to this process. Investments and reforms aimed at the ecological transition are currently being implemented
in Spain at a rapid pace, in line with the EU’s goals and policies. Conclusions: The new challenges
generated by the war in Ukraine will require Spain to deploy additional efforts not initially covered by the
recovery plan. In particular, the deployment of renewable energy and improvement of circular economy
policies will be crucial to accelerate the green transition.
KEYWORDS
Next Generation EU; Recovery and Resilience Facility; Spain’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience
Plan; green transition; European Green Deal.
1 The author would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and the journal’s editorial team for their suggestions and comments
on the first version of this article.
2 This article is part of the research project PID2021-122143NB-I00, Proyecto de Generación del Conocimiento 2021 del Minis-
terio de Ciencia e Innovación y la Agencia Estatal de Investigación «Medio ambiente, seguridad y salud: nuevos retos del Derecho en
el siglo XXI» (MESESA).
Gestión y Análisis de Políticas Públicas, 2023, (33), 6-23 – DOI: https://doi.org/10.24965/gapp.11207
ARTÍCULOS 7
Pérez de las Heras, Beatriz
The Spanish recovery plan: assessing its contribution to the green transition in the European Union
RESUMEN
Contexto: Next Generation EU (NGEU) constituye el principal instrumento financiero de la política de
recuperación post-COVID de la Unión Europea (UE). Este amplio marco de estímulo está proporcionando
una oportunidad para acelerar el proceso de descarbonización y reforzar la política climática. El
artículo analiza el plan de recuperación de España, valorando su potencial contribución a los objetivos
medioambientales y de sostenibilidad de la UE. Metodología: el estudio se basa en la literatura académica,
en instrumentos jurídicos, así como en documentos institucionales de la UE y del Gobierno español. El
enfoque es principalmente analítico. Resultados: Los fondos NGEU brindan a España la oportunidad de
emprender cambios profundos para construir un modelo económico más resiliente. La transición verde
es el eje principal del plan español de recuperación, con casi el 40 % de los recursos destinados a este
proceso. Las inversiones y reformas dirigidas a la transición ecológica se están realizando en España a un
ritmo rápido, en línea con los objetivos y políticas de la UE. Conclusiones: Los nuevos retos generados
por la guerra en Ucrania exigen a España esfuerzos adicionales no cubiertos inicialmente por el plan de
recuperación. En particular, el despliegue de energías renovables y la mejora de las políticas de economía
circular serán cruciales para acelerar la transición verde.
PALABRAS CLAVE
Next Generation EU; Mecanismo de Recuperación y Resiliencia; Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y
Resiliencia de España; transición verde; Pacto Verde Europeo.
SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION. 1. THE EUROPEAN RECOVERY PLAN: A TRANSFORMATIVE INSTRUMENT FOR
IMPLEMENTING THE EGD. 2. THE SPANISH RECOVERY PLAN: AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE
SUSTAINABLE GROWTH. 2.1. OBJECTIVES AND INSTRUMENTS: ASSESSING ALIGNMENT WITH
EU GOALS AND REQUIREMENTS. 2.2. CONTRIBUTING TO THE GREEN TRANSITION: MAIN COM-
PONENTS AND POLICIES. CONCLUSIONS. REFERENCES.
INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound and unforeseen impact across the world. Initial measures
to stem the spread of the pandemic, consisting primarily of stay-at-home orders and restrictions on econo-
mic activities, led to a significant decline in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment in all countries.
During 2020, the European Union (EU) experienced a 5.9 % contraction in GDP, with unemployment rising to
7.0 % and public deficit to 6.8 % (Eurostat, 2022). In parallel, despite the fact that by April 2020, global CO2
emissions had already fallen by 17 %, the pressures of climate change and environmental deterioration con-
tinue to grow (European Environment Agency, 2023).
To address the economic and social impact of this unprecedented crisis, the EU and its Member Sta-
tes have adopted a number of recovery measures and instruments. Within this joint process, the European
Commission is determined to continue implementing its flagship project, the European Green Deal (EGD), a
comprehensive policy framework that seeks to transform the EU into the world’s first climate-neutral region
by 2050 (European Commission, 2019). EU responses so far indicate that the process of recovery from the
crisis is being used as an opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation of the economy and reinforce climate
policies. Thus, in December 2020, the European Council agreed to increase the EU’s greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions reduction to 55 % by 2030 (European Council, 2020); in June 2021, the European Parliament and
the Council adopted the European Climate Law, making the climate neutrality goal and the 55 % 2030 target
legally binding 3 and in July 2021, the European Commission presented a proposal for a legislative package,
«Fit for 55», which would enable the EU and its Member States to meet the new 2030 mitigation target, on
the path to full climate neutrality (European Commission, 2021a). Together, these initiatives clearly set out
the route the EU intends to follow. The purpose of aligning economic stimuli and packages with climate and
3 Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing the framework for
achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulations (EC) 401/2009 and (EU) 2018/1999 («European Climate Law»), OJEU L243/1
of 9 July 2021.
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