At the start of the 21st century, three of the main challenges for Europe are: creating jobs, boosting the economy and protecting the environment. Fortunately, these are rarely conflicting goals. In fact, numerous studies show that investments in green technologies – such as recycling waste, renewable energies or insulating houses - leads to a net increase in jobs. One of the key features of the EU's response to the current economic crisis is to emphasise the job-creating potential of the green economy, both as part of the European Recovery Plan and the European Commission's proposals to tackle the impact of the crisis  on employment.