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The Coal Commission was established in March 2021 as the first permanent consultative forum on coal transition in Hungary, within the framework of the LIFE IP North-HU-Trans project. main task of the Commission is to support a sustainable and equitable transition in the North-Hungary region, involving all relevant organisations.

The 8th edition of the Just Transition Platform conference took place in Brussels. The Just Transition Platform assists stakeholders in using the support provided by the Just Transition Mechanism, including the Just Transition Fund. The Platform actively promotes the sharing of best practices among all stakeholders involved in the implementation of the Just Transition. Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms of the European Commission, also participated in the conference, giving a keynote speech and an opportunity for questions.

On 18-19 October, the ‘Sokolov Inspires’ conference took place as part of the Just Transition Platform (JTP) Groundwork programme. Dr Zsuzsa Piskóti-Kovács, Head of the Coal Commission Secretariat, represented Eszterházy Károly Catholic University at the conference.

In the framework of the LIFE IP North-HU-Trans project, we consider it important to build links with other LIFE integrated projects and to share experiences. In this framework we had the opportunity to visit DIADYMA SA (Αρχική – ΔΙΑΔΥΜΑ ΑΕ (diadyma.gr)) in Kozani (Greece, West Macedonia coal region).

One of the key tasks of the Coal Commission Secretariat of the LIFE-IP North-HU-Trans project, based at the Catholic University of Eszterházy Károly, is to build links with other European coal regions. In this context, a study trip to the West Macedonia coal region in Greece was organised, which was attended by the municipal partners of the LIFE project, the staff of the Ministry of Energy and the Secretariat of the Coal Region Committee.

This is the second time the Secretariat has successfully applied for the exchangeEU call, a dedicated exchange programme for the EU’s coal, lignite, peat and oil shale regions in transition. The programme provides opportunities for peer-to-peer exchanges with the aim of creating long-term relationships that can accelerate the clean energy transition in different regions of the EU.