Exiting the crisis in the right direction: A sustainable and shared prosperity plan for Europe

This paper investigates the synergies between the policy response to the European crisis and the green economy. We begin by examining the causes of the European crisis, including the potential role played by resource constraints, in particular the rise in oil prices 2004-2008. Then we develop a matrix to assess the synergies between the crisis response and the green economy. We survey the literature on three green economy instruments, namely environmental fiscal reform, green investment and environmental innovation. We then assess their coherence with and potential contribution to the current crisis response.