On behalf of the European Commission’s Directorates-General for Regional Policy and Energy, we are delighted to invite stakeholders from EU coal , carbon and fossil fuel-intensive regions to the 3rd meeting of the Just Transition Platform. The event will take place online from 26 to 29 April 2021 and  be opened by Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms and Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy. Like past editions, it integrates the Coal Regions Virtual Week and Carbon-intensive Regions Seminar and their dedicated sessions. 

This third edition of the Just Transition Platform meeting comes at a key moment, when Member States, in partnership with a wider stakeholder community, are shaping their territorial just transition plans and are preparing their respective investments to be supported by the Just Transition Mechanism.  In this context, the event will enable an open dialogue between Member States, local and regional authorities, non-governmental organisations, social partners, and EU institutions, to discuss progress, obstacles as well as opportunities and possible ways forward to ensure a just transition in EU regions heavily dependent on fossil fuels and carbon-intensive industries.  

Several thematic sessions will be organised to address various transition challenges and investment opportunities for coal carbon and fossil fuel-intensive regions. This includes opportunities to invest in the value chains of batteries, a presentation of Pillars 2 and 3 of the Just Transition Mechanism and addressing the demographic challenges of the transition. As part of the Coal Regions Virtual Week, we will take stock of recent progress as regards coal phase-outs, listen to the voices of coal regions and look at the employment potential of clean energy value-chains in Europe across coal regions. 

As a novelty this year, the Just Transition Platform meeting will include a Multi-Level Dialogue, organised by the Committee of the Regions, which underscores the importance of the involvement of local and regional authorities in the preparation of territorial just transition plans and the implementation of the Just Transition Mechanism.