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EU Commission Announces €459 Million for a Just Climate Transition in Slovakia

EU Commission Announces €459 Million for a Just Climate Transition in Slovakia

The Commission has adopted the Territorial Just Transition Plan (TJTP) for Slovakia  setting the strategy for the investment of €459 million allocated to the country from the Just Transition Fund (JTF). These funds will support a fair transition towards climate neutrality in Slovakia’s most vulnerable regions.

The Fund will help Slovakia’s phasing out from coal extraction and coal-fired electric power generation by 2023. In particular, it will support a fair transition for the country’s metals and chemicals industries in the Upper Nitra, Košice and Banská Bystrica regions.

Trenčín /Upper Nitra region: new jobs and enhancing energy efficiency

Trenčín /Upper Nitra is the only coal mining region in Slovakia. The mining of lignite and its burning at the Novaky Power plant are to be phased out by 2023. The JTF will help creating new job opportunities for the workers in the coal sector, their families and the young people who want to live and work in the region. Funds will also support energy efficiency measures for public buildings and innovative solutions for renewable energy.

Košice region: new skills and new jobs in green sectors

This region heavily depends on industries responsible for very high greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and thus has the largest decarbonisation potential in Slovakia. Technological changes in the steel industry are necessary to help the country meeting its climate targets. The JTF will help re- and upskilling around 2,400 workers in the steel industry. The fund will also create new job opportunities in the green sectors in renewable energies, energy storage, and upgrading district heating networks entailing energy savings.

See related article: EU Commission Issues €6 Billion NextGenerationEU Green Bond and Raises €2.5 Billion To Support Ukraine

Banská Bystrica region: energy efficiency and geothermal energy

Banská Bystrica is one of Slovakia’s least developed regions while several districts depend on industries with very high GHG. The JTF will help increasing the energy efficiency in public buildings and the use of geothermal energy resources, as well as lifelong learning for workers and support for vocational schools.

Background

The JTF supports territories that face specific challenges in the transition towards a climate-neutral economy. The Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs) identify these territories following a dialogue with the Commission in the framework of the negotiations of the 2021-2027 Partnership Agreements and the associated programmes. The Commission approved the Partnership Agreement with Slovakia in July 2022. The TJTPs, developed in close consultation with local partners, identify the challenges in each territory, as well as the development needs and objectives to be met by 2030. They also identify the planned actions with specific governance mechanisms.

The approval of TJTPs opens the door to dedicated financing under the other two pillars of the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM): a just transition scheme under InvestEU and a Public Sector Loan Facility for Just Transition that combines Commission grants with European Investment Bank loans.

The JTM is a key tool to ensure that the transition towards a climate-neutral economy happens in a fair way, leaving no one behind. It provides targeted support to help mobilise around €55 billion over the period 2021-2027 in the most affected regions.

Lastly, the Just Transition Platform supports all stakeholders involved in just transition and helps them to share experiences and best practices to accelerate a just transition.

Upon request by the Slovak Authorities, the Commission provided tailor-made technical expertise for the preparation of their TJTP via the Technical Support Instrument. The Commission also provides technical support when it comes to the implementation of the plan.

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