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.
During the programme, the delegation had the opportunity to meet with the Governor of the Western Macedonia Coal Region, Mr Georgios Kasapidis, the mayors of the municipalities involved in the Just Transition and local businesses that have already embarked on a path towards green economic diversification. The workshops were complemented by field exercises, which also provided the delegation members with good practices on alternative reclamation.
The Just Transition Fund is a financial instrument of the Cohesion Policy, which aims to support areas facing serious socio-economic challenges resulting from the process of transition to climate neutrality. The Just Transition Fund will support the implementation of the European Green Deal, which aims to make the EU climate neutral by 2050. The novelty of the fund means that knowledge sharing and exchange of experience between coal regions is of particular importance.
The studytrip was financed by the Coal Commission Secretariat in the framework of the LIFE IP North-HU-Trans project.
News sent by: Zsuzsa Piskóti-Kovács PhD
Photos by: Zsuzsa Piskóti-Kovács PhD