Climate Stress as a Structural Challenge to EU Cohesion (hcss.nl)

• Climate change acts as a structural stress test for European unity.
• Asymmetric regional risks threaten to deepen fiscal and political fault lines.
• Adaptive investment in agriculture and critical infrastructure is a strategic necessity.

"A new HCSS report warns that asymmetric climate impacts—droughts in the south versus floods in the north—threaten to fracture the European Union politically and economically. The authors argue that failing to prioritize climate adaptation as a strategic investment will exacerbate tensions over fiscal transfers and national policy priorities. By integrating adaptation into the core EU budget and industrial strategy, the Union can mitigate internal disparities, prevent future economic crises, and leverage shared resilience as a mechanism for deepening political cooperation."