Briefing for Mayors: Ensuring a Just Transition in EU Coal Regions

Posted on 05 September 2022

The world still has a chance to avoid catastrophic climate impacts. Limiting global average temperature rise to 1.5°C will be crucial, but the pathway to achieve this is narrow. The necessary green transition is expected to bring huge opportunities, however, for some groups and regions, the costs of the transition may outweigh the benefits.

This briefing aims to raise the awareness of municipalities of the European policy developments that can assist their engagement with EU climate policy to ensure a truly just transition.

This update provides information on the implementation of the EU Just Transition Fund, including the TJTPs. We include detail on the main challenges regions are facing to develop them, and give helpful pointers about deadlines and what they should include. We also provide an overview the EU Social Climate Fund.

Furthermore, the briefing gives information on the other EU institutional activities relevant for supporting the just transition across the EU: the Just Transition Platform and the Coal and Carbon-Intensive Regions in Transition Initiative. Finally, it touches on the impacts of the war in Ukraine and the implications of the EU’s plan to respond, known as ‘RePowerEU’.