ENERGY - Lasting learnings from the exchangeEU programme for collaboration between coal regions in transition

exchangeEU, a European programme that fostered direct exchange and cooperation between coal, lignite, peat, and oil shale regions in transition (“coal+ regions”), recently came to a successful conclusion. The programme spanned two rounds of exchanges, which took place between November 2021 and June 2023, setting-up 17 exchanges among 24 coal+ regions across the EU.

date: 06/07/2023

exchangeEU is a part of the wider Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition, and provided participating coal+ regions with hands-on learning opportunities, a network of like-minded practitioners with whom to collaborate, and information about innovative solutions tailored to each region.

Participating regions were paired up based on their specific experiences and needs, with regional delegations collaborating in workshops and site visits. Discussions concentrated on key topics collaboratively identified by the regions, including energy communities, reskilling and upskilling workers, transition governance, and economic diversification strategies.

Lessons learnt throughout the programme, and resulting recommendations for coal+ regions in transition, have been brought together into a succinct brochure on “Driving Change: how to implement a successful regional just transition”. Just transition leaders are also invited to learn more about the programme’s key learnings by watching the recently released exchangeEU programme 2022-2023 video.

Furthermore, reflections from the last seven exchange visits are available, which highlight exchange among: