Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Grand-Est regions in France will receive €190 million in grants from the Just Transition Fund (JTF) to tackle the socio-economic consequences of the decarbonisation of its polluting industries.
- 11 November 2022
In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the JTF covers the two “départements” Isère and Rhône that will benefit from investments of almost €78 million. In Grand-Est, the concerned “départements” of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Moselle and Haut-Rhin will receive more than €112 million from the Fund. Both regions have many carbon-intensive industries (metallurgy, coal, cement, and the chemical industry) that are being particularly affected by the transition to a climate-neutral economy.
The JTF funded investments will help create new businesses in future-proof sectors with growth potential not based on fossil fuels, deploy technologies for affordable clean energy, and develop research, innovation and the reskilling of the workforce. Overall, the investments will support the development of a circular economy and, as such, the diversification of the economic base of the regions.
The territories most affected by the transition 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.
More information : the Just Transition Fund (JTF)