The problem in mining across Europe: Silesia among the 108 regions facing dire straits

With a view to making European mining centres - in which a total of 237000 jobs are at stake - as ready for the transition as they can be, the European Union, within the framework of the ESPON programme (researching sustainable development of European regions), is creating a platform for experience exchange for governments and local-government bodies.

The purpose of such consultations is to inform decision-making, primarily as regards innovation, investment or business development.

“By 2025, more than 4000 jobs will have been eliminated in the Silesia and Małopolska regions, with similar job cuts affecting Karlovy Vary, Ústi nad Labem and Moravia in the Czech Republic, as well as the North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg in Germany”, reminded Vassilen Iotzov, an ESPON expert.

Since 2017, the Czech Republic has been implementing a programme of economic transformation of mining regions, which is consistent with the priority categories of actions recommended by the European Union, using funds from the EU Just Transition Fund (JTF), with a total amount of 17.5 billion Euros.

“Four years ago, the Czech government adopted the RE:START strategy, providing systemic and long-term assistance to the Karlovy Vary, Ústi nad Labem and Moravia regions. Most of all, we are investing in the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, research and innovation, and provide support to job seekers in the emerging economic sectors”, stressed Milada Hronkova and Milos Soukup, representatives of the Czech Ministry of Development.

As noted by Kathrin Schneider, Head of the Office of the Prime Minister of Brandenburg and former Minister of Infrastructure and Development of that state, while effective climate action has a global and supranational dimension, we should bear in mind that its effects will be visible mainly at the regional level.

“For eastern German industrial regions such as Lusatia, striving away from lignite is a landmark event - second only to the unification of the country – which raises a range of serious concerns. It is, therefore, extremely important that the corresponding political measures also take social criteria into account”, stressed Schneider.

As part of its remedies, Brandenburg has invested in low-carbon enterprises, including the expansion of Deutsche Bahn’s repair facility and the establishing of a new RES power plant.

The EU Just Transition Fund (JTF) has been earmarked for supporting such regions as Lusatia in Germany, Silesia in Poland and Moravia in the Czech Republic. The main objectives identified for using the Fund are to support R&D (research and development), to make production investments in SMEs including start-ups, as well as to facilitate the creation of new businesses and to help improve employee qualifications.

JTF is a 17.5-billion-euro instrument intended for implementing EU’s Green Deal targets, which include achieving climate neutrality by 2050. It will help Member States to phase out heavy industry and invest in renewable energy sources.

The biggest sums of money will be aimed at those EU regions whose economies are today based on coal mining and processing – i.e. those particularly vulnerable to rising unemployment and economic stagnation in the coming decades.

“EU climate policy will have a diversified impact on individual regions and their local communities. Therefore, it must be accompanied by actions ensuring that no one is left behind”, emphasised the ESPON experts.

As they recall, among the three main pillars of the JTF are the following activities:

• support for R&D activities through investments in research projects and support for transfer of advanced technologies;

• production investments in SMEs, including start-ups, leading to economic diversification and restructuring;

• support for the creation of new businesses, e.g. through business incubators and consultancy services, upgrading or retraining of staff, as well as assistance in finding jobs.

ESPON is a research programme that covers all European Union Member States as well as Great Britain, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. It is a platform for cooperation between governments and local governments with many academic centres and research institutes. The task of the programme is to monitor economic, social and environmental trends in Europe.

More information: www.espon.eu

Source: PAP MediaRoom