The French region Hauts-de-France will receive €228 million in EU grants from the Just Transition Fund (JTF) to tackle the socio-economic consequences of decarbonising its polluting industries.
- 11 October 2022
Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, said: “The Just Transition Plan for Hauts-de-France is the first adopted plan for the country. Key industries in the region such as metalworking, non-metallic mineral production, and chemical industries will be supported in their climate transition. We want all citizens to be able to benefit from new, sustainable jobs and a green, clean, and healthy future.”
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “The Hauts-de-France region’ s steel industry produces a significant part of France’s greenhouse gas emissions and will be faced with a transformation in the years to come. The Just Transition Fund is helping Hauts-de-France curb the emissions while helping the local population face the economic and social consequences of the climate transition. We leave no one behind in the green transition.”
Thanks to the Territorial Just Transition Plan proposed by France and adopted by the Commission, the region will develop a circular economy, diversify its economic base and create new jobs. It will invest in industrial research projects of local small and medium businesses (SMEs) on recycling technologies (e.g., hydrometallurgy, chemical recycling of plastics, bioconversion technologies).
Moreover, it will support incubators and advisory services specialised for SMEs and start-ups. The plan foresees the creation of around 3250 direct jobs, and the reskilling and upskilling of more than 26,000 local workers in the industries involved in the transition and jobseekers.
The JTF supports the territories most affected by the transition towards a climate-neutral economy. These territories are identified in Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs) following a dialogue with the Commission in the framework of the negotiations of the 2021-2027 Partnership Agreements and the associated programmes.
The TJTPs, developed in close consultation with local partners, set out the challenges in each territory, as well as the development needs and objectives to be met by 2030. They also identify the types of operations envisaged along with specific governance mechanisms.
The approval of TJTPs opens the door to dedicated financing under the other two pillars of the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM): a just transition scheme under InvestEU and the Public Sector Loan Facility for Just Transition that combines Commission grants with European Investment bank loans.
The Commission approved the Partnership Agreement with France in May 2022.