Operating the Secretariat for Coal and Carbon-Intensive Regions in Transition (EU)

The Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition (CRiT), facilitates a just transition to a low-carbon economy for EU regions dependent on coal, peat, lignite, and oil shale (coal+ regions).

From December 2018 to July 2022, Ecorys took the lead of the Secretariat of the Initiative for CRiT, spearheading tasks including:

1. Management and Coordination

Ecorys managed and coordinated the Secretariat, ensuring collaboration amongst Consortium partners, efficient operation, quality control, and effective monitoring.

2. Operating the Initiative and forming a community

Ecorys played a pivotal role in running the Initiative for CRiT and forming the community thereunder. This included orchestrating working group meetings, conferences, facilitating high-level political discussions, and overseeing the online helpdesk, that created a dynamic platform for stakeholder engagement and support.

3. Technical Assistance for EU Coal+ Regions

Seven EU coal+ regions, including Asturias, Jiu Valley, Karlovy Vary, Małopolska, Megalopolis, Midlands, and Silesia, received our technical expertise. We aided in the development of transition strategies, governance frameworks, action plans, and the identification of priority projects.

4. Support Material Development and Serving as a Stakeholder Reference

Ecorys provided input for the development of toolkits, guidelines and best practices as well as to the development of a communication and engagement strategy tailored to the needs of coal and carbon-intensive regions which was navigated by the consortium partners.

Ecorys continues to lead the consortium that includes ICLEI, Wuppertal Institute, and Climate Strategies into a second project phase from 2022 to 2025.