Operating the Secretariat for Coal Regions in Transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine

The Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine (CRiT WBUA) aims at supporting regions to transition towards a carbon-neutral economy in a just and equitable way.

Background

Ecorys led the Secretariat’s operations, providing various services to the European Commission and other international partners of the initiative (the World Bank, the Energy Community Secretariat, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), Poland’s National Fund for Environment Protection and Water Management (NFOSiGW), and the College of Europe in Natolin) to facilitate a just energy transition in Ukraine and the Western Balkans (i.e. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia).

Operationalisation

The Secretariat supported the objectives of the Initiative by:

1. Fostering Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue

Facilitating discussions on policy frameworks, practices, and financing for successful energy transition via Annual Initiative events in Brussels that brough together stakeholders from the target countries as well as from International partners.

• Supporting Strategies and Projects

Promoting peer learning, knowledge exchange, and best practices to develop strategies and projects in coal regions. The Secretariat organised a total of eight exchanges between EU and Western Balkan/Ukrainian coal regions.

• Elevating Transition on the Political Agenda

Encouraging political dialogue, visibility, and momentum around the transition agenda by engaging with public authorities within the target countries and organising local workshops in all six target countries

• Serving as a Focal Point

Operating as the central contact for coal regions in the Western Balkans and Ukraine, including a helpdesk.

Ecorys led the consortium of organizations including ICLEI, the Wuppertal Institute Climate Strategies and the Central Mining Institute (GIG).