Opinion Factsheet 

Just and Sustainable Transition in the context of the coal and energy intensive regions

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Opinion Number: CDR 4074/2022
Rapporteur: RAUTIO Sari
Commission: COTER
Status: Adopted
Date: 12/10/2022
 
The opinion is a referral from the Czech presidency of the Council of the EU and has as a main objective to deliver politically validated feedback from Europe's local and regional authorities (LRA) on the implementation of the Just Transition Fund
The opinion aims to identify best practices but also bottlenecks for LRA and outline first ideas for the JTF 2.0 beyond 2027
The objective of the CoR with this opinion is to request a stronger role of LRA in the development and preparatory phase, timely improved implementation process and to achieve a long-term planning horizons for investments in the transition of coal and energy intensive regions
• Major support for CoR's work on Just Transition came from European Parliament's "REPORT on economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU: the 8th Cohesion Report" which "calls on the Commission to draw lessons from the implementation of the JTF; asks for a new fund, JTF II, to be established in the post-2027 programming period on NUTS 3 level, with a revised allocation method; believes that the fund should be fully integrated into the CPR", fully in line with CoR's requests. The involvement of the regions in the context of the JTF was mentioned in the Council Conclusions on Cohesion Policy (P.30), a small but important element resulting from CoR's cooperation with the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU.
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS



- welcomes the mission of a climate-neutral European Union by 2050, which will require a digital and green transition in Europe's municipalities and regions that will fundamentally affect the way people work and live;

- underlines that the changing world landscape led to an energy crisis, which forced some Member States to temporarily find flexible regional solutions to meet the programme's objectives;

- points out that the JTF programme planning should be stepped up in order to mobilise funding in a timely manner. If the JTF programme is not up and running in 2022, there is a risk of losing the full year allocation of 25% of the available funds;

- stresses that the European Commission should, in a timely manner, put forward the necessary proposals for the continuity of JTF programme planning; urges the co-legislator to properly involve regions in the future JTF programme;

- concludes that it is essential for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be incorporated into the implementation of all instruments. Regionally, the search for the most suitable and effective means will only succeed when regions and cities are genuinely involved in all stages of planning and implementation.

Importance

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Multi-level Dialogue on Just Transition

The Multi-level Dialogue on Just Transition is a recurring event that is hosted by the European Committee of the Regions and organised in cooperation with the European Commission. The aim of the Dialogue is to promote exchange between the different levels of governance in the process of just transition throughout Europe. Participants to these Dialogues can for example come from civil society, local and regional authorities (such as city council members, mayors, governors, regional parliament members, …), national level government, European Commission, European Parliament and Council. The European Union has to make the most out of the Just Transition Fund, and the participation of cities and regions is of key importance to its success.

The plans of the European Union to cut greenhouse gas emissions and achieve climate neutrality require a socio-economic transformation, especially in regions relying heavily on fossil fuels and carbon-intensive industries. In this context, the local and regional representatives and guests from all parts of Europe will share their experiences and recommendations, to help in addressing current challenges and define the future shape of the policy.

 
23 Oct
 

Multilevel Dialogue on Just Transition

The Multilevel Dialogue on Just Transition was hosted by the European Committee of the Regions and organised in cooperation with the European Commission. The aim of the Dialogue is to promote exchange between the different levels of governance in the process of just transition throughout Europe. The European Union has to make the most out of the Just Transition Mechanism, and the participation of cities and regions is of key importance to its success.

The plans of the European Union are to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This undertaking requires a socio-economic transformation, especially in regions relying heavily on fossil fuels and carbon-intensive industries. In this context, the regional representatives and guests from all parts of Europe will share their experiences and recommendations, helping to define the future shape of the policy.

Several MEPs and CoR members participated in this Multilevel Dialogue. (see event page link below for more information)

 
27 Apr
 

Multi-Level Dialogue on Just Transition

The last edition of th etraditional Multilevel Dialogue on Just Transition took place on 26 October, hosted by the European Committee of the Regions and organised in cooperation with the European Commission. The aim of the Dialogue is to promote exchange between the different levels of governance in the process of just transition throughout Europe. The European Union has to make the most out of the Just Transition Fund, and the participation of cities and regions is of key importance to its success. In this context, the regional representatives and guests from all parts of Europe shared their experiences and recommendations, helping to define the future shape of the policy.

The panellists of the event were:
Emil BOC – CoR COTER Commission Chair
Sofia ALVES – DG REGIO European Commission
Radim SRŠEŇ – Deputy Minister of regional development, Czech Republic, for the CZ Presidency of the Council of the EU
Martina MICHELS – Member of the European Parliament (DE-THE LEFT)
Sari RAUTIO, (FI/EPP) – CoR Rapporteur on Just Transition, Finland
Anne RUDISUHLI (FR/RenewE) – Departmental Council Bouches-du-Rhône, France
​Florin-Tiberiu IACOB-RIDZI (RO/EPP) – Mayor of Petrosani, Romania

 
26 Oct
 

Meeting with SSAB

The rapporteur met with representatives of SSAB to discuss green steel and energy transition in the energy intensive sectors.

 
31 Aug
 

First Just Transition plans adopted

During the months of July and August 2022, the European Commision announced the adoption of the first Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs). The process started with the adoption with the plans for the Greek coal regions and Cyprus, adding later on Austria and the German basins of Rheinisches Revier and Nördliches Ruhrgebiet. The process is expected to continue until the end of 2022.

More information can be found on the website of the Just Transition Platform, including graphic representation of the territories with adopted plans: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/jtf/just-transition-platform/

 
01 Jul
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