Ιn view of the new national elections of June 2023, Ioanna Theodosiou, in her article entitled “The success of the Just Transition – Greece’s development challenge”, explains how the use of the available resources and the participation of local communities will contribute decisively to the success of Just Transition in Greece’s lignite regions, and the country’s development prospect in the coming years.
Conveying the stakes of the Just Transition at European level as set at the 7th Meeting of the Just Transition Platform, she stressed that the energy crisis has pushed forward – rather than hindered – the energy transition of the lignite regions. Through the Just Transition Fund, strategically important projects are planned with the common goal of creating new and green jobs ensuring equal opportunities for the working population.
These are extremely crucial for the success of the Just Transition in Greece as well. The country has approved Just Transition Territorial Plans as well as a Just Transition Development Programme for the period 2021-2027 amounting to 1.6 billion euros, with a significant share of these resources dedicated to the support of entrepreneurship,sustainable jobs and innovation. However, although some of the resources have been activated, important challenges such as tackling unemployment and youth drain, that currently affect the country’s lignite regions, remain. To this end, the article proposes:
– the just distribution of resources coming from the Just Transition Fund between large-scale projects and small and medium-sized and local enterprizes,
– participation by the local community in the implementation of the planning and decision making,
– prioritising energy communities and youth entrepreneurship,
– creating new jobs and training programmes to a climate-sustainable direction,
– reducing the carbon footprint of companies benefiting from the Just Transition Fund.
By incorporating these proposals into the planning, the green transition of the lignite areas and the whole country can move forward on the grounds of social equality and justice.
The article was published on Monday June 5, 2023 in Oikonomikos Tachydromos and it is available at ot.gr.
