The Initiative for coal regions in transition has released three new publications.

If you are curious about the work carried out by the Initiative's technical assistance facility in Sardinia, check out the summary of activities here. 

Additionally, two new case studies have become available. One of these publications explores the climate policy of the municipality of Ringkøbing-Skjern (Denmark) following fossil fuel phase out. The other case study delves into the use of agrivoltaics/hortivoltaics in the Rhenish coal mining region in Germany.

The Initiative has made the full library of resources available on its website. This page is reguarly updated with new knowledge products, so be sure to check them out!

On Thursday 27th February, the Initiative for coal regions in transition, in collaboration with Swaniti Global, is organising a virtual dialogue on ‘Managed transitions: Economic diversification strategies in EU and India’s coal regions’.  

This virtual dialogue will bring together policymakers, practitioners and civil society actors from coal regions across the European Union and India as they tackle the vital, yet complex task of diversifying and futureproofing their regional economies. With both case study presentations and small group discussions, this dialogue will highlight different approaches and enable stakeholders to exchange on good practices, lessons learnt, barriers and drivers, aiming to advance sustainable regional economic diversification efforts. 

Please note that attendance is restricted, but if you would be interested in participating in this dialogue, and sharing your coal region’s experiences of economic diversification amongst other EU and Indian stakeholders, please contact us at secretariat@coalregions.eu.

Based on his extensive research on the Initiative for coal regions in transition and other support schemes available for coal regions globally, the Australian scholar, Simon Wright, has recently published a comprehensive report on the transition from coal to low-carbon options, focusing on how countries, including those in the EU, have managed this shift while protecting jobs.

This report is particularly relevant for coal+ regions as they can extract valuable lessons from the Australian transition, such as the need to involve communities early and meaningfully to avoid opposition to renewable energy projects. 

Muncipalities, regional authorities, civil society, socio-economic actors and Managing Authorities in Just Transition Fund regions with approved Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs) can now apply for the next round of support through JTP Groundwork,  a technical assistance programme offered by the Just Transition Platform. Recipients can access tailored advisory services to execute their TJTP priorities.

Applications can be made via EUSurvey until 3 March 2025, 23:00 CET. For more information, please refer to the call for expression of interest or reach out directly at JTPgroundwork@justtransitionplatform.eu.

• Solar power generation in the EU has outpaced coal for the first time in 2024. Overall fuel generation from fossil fuels also fell to 29%, down from 39% since before the introduction of the Green Deal. Read more here.