Ecorys organises the Launch of the Just Transition Platform and the first Coal Regions in Transition virtual week!

The week of 29 June – 03 July 2020 saw the Launch of the Just Transition Platform – Coal Regions in Transition Virtual Week and Carbon Intensive Regions seminar, a series of 6 sessions which took place exclusively online.

The week kicked off with the Launch of the Just Transition Platform, where the European Commission presented its new assistance package designed to help implement a ‘just transition’. The launch of the Platform was followed by the Coal Regions in Transition Virtual Week, organised by the Secretariat of the Coal Regions in Transition Initiative – of which Ecorys is a part – addressing issues faced specifically by coal, peat and oil shale regions. During the week, a stakeholder seminar was also held, hosted by the European Commission and focusing on regions dependent on carbon intensive industries.

The week featured a total of 46 speakers, among which was European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira, and Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson. From the European Parliament, MEPs Henrike Hahn and Jerzy Buzek took part in discussions. Among the voices heard throughout the week were 6 European Commission DGs, the Committee of the Regions, the EBRD and EIB, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, SolarPower Europe and WindEurope, as well as organisations, agencies and academic institutions from all corners of the EU and beyond.

Cumulative registrations topped almost 5000, with a total of 1077 registered participants. Attendance peaked at 478, with an average of 300 attendees per session.

The week of events was jointly organised by Ecorys and the European Commission. Ecorys runs the Secretariat of the Platform for Coal Regions in Transition Initiative alongside DG ENER, Climate Strategies, ICLEI Europe and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. The initiative assists EU countries and coal regions tackling challenges related to the transition to a low carbon economy by connecting stakeholders, delivering technical assistance, and providing resources to support transition. In this context, the consortium organises three yearly meetings: 2 Working Group Meetings and one Political Annual Dialogue. Complications posed by Covid-19 meant that the April 2020 Working Group Meeting was reshaped into the Coal Regions in Transition Virtual Week, to which the Launch of the Just Transition Platform and Stakeholder Seminar were added and co-organised with DG REGIO. The outcome was a mix of high-level and technical sessions centred around the theme of how best to achieve a fair transition towards a green energy mix in Europe.

For more information, please see the event website.

Presentations and recordings of the sessions will be available on the Just Transition Platform website, on the website of the Coal Regions in Transition Initiative and on DG ENER’s YouTube channel.