The Just Transition Fund must continue during the next programming period (2028-2034), highlights Ioanna Theodosiou in an op-ed published in capital.gr on 26 September 2024.
As she explains, for the 92 regions across Europe that currently use the Just Transition Fund (JTF), its existence has been a catalyst in providing a clear and funded roadmap for their developmental shift.
However, despite the contribution of the JTF, significant challenges remain, such as delays in absorption of funds, lack of administrative staff and low involvement of local communities.
Therefore, the continuation of funding beyond 2027 will give the lignite regions of Greece and Europe the necessary time to effectively implement their planning and further engage local communities.
This article comes after a joint statement by 42 European organizations, including Green Tank – published on 18 September 2024 – calling on the EU leadership to maintain the JTF and even putting forward proposals for its improvement.
You can read Ioanna Theodosiou’s opinion piece in Greek here.
The joint statement of the 42 organizations is available here.
