Future-oriented agencies from two lignite regions move towards a just transition

As part of the exchangeEU programme, the Zukunftsagentur of the Rheinish region (DE) hosted a delegation from Konin, Eastern Wielkopolska (PL) on 19-20 April to exchange best practices on transition governance and economic diversification, with a focus on youth perspectives.

Transition Governance – moving towards implementation and common vision

During the exchange, the regions focused on common challenges and potential solutions. They emphasised the need to foster new regional identities to engage society in the transformation process and attract young people. The importance of enterprises both ecognising and benefiting from the transformation was also highlighted. The participants discussed various narratives around the just transition, and explored the role of the creative and advertising sectors in communicating the vision to the public. Preserving cultural sites and railway infrastructure was recognised as important, although financing presents difficulties.

The exchange revealed that a sole focus on new energy sources is insufficient for creating a compelling vision for a region with high quality of life. Participants considered fostering visions of their region as an ‘innovation valley’, ‘knowledge region’, or ‘agriculture valley’ to address this. A visit to the local lignite mine and reclamation lands provided further insights into these possible visions, and the physical challenges of the transition. Here, the former village of Morschenich, now dubbed “The Place of the Future” is no longer going to be deployed for mining, and instead will serve as a demonstration ground for innovative agriculture and sustainable construction projects.

Economic diversification with focus on youth

During the exchange, both the Rheinish Region and Eastern Wielkopolska placed a strong emphasis on engaging the younger generation in the just transition process, and making these two former lignite regions more appealing to youth. In the Rheinish Region, there is a dedicated focus on youth engagement, aiming to activate young people and ensure their voices are heard. Similarly, in Eastern Wielkopolska, the involvement of youth in the transition process is robust, with strong participation from youth organisations such as the Youth Council of Konin, and the Young Locals Association. However, Eastern Wielkopolska faces challenges attracting new sectors of the economy to the region.

The invited youth representatives took the lead in diverse sessions, sharing their perspectives on regional development, their expectations, and best practices for youth engagement.