[{"command":"add_css","data":[{"rel":"stylesheet","media":"all","href":"\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_-kTcRwkqPhQLsqEvdSSyU2XZ3CV5VEleXoE3_xZi2cg.css?delta=0\u0026language=it\u0026theme=hm_theme\u0026include=eJxLzi9K1U8pKi1IzNErSa0oSSxKTdQtSi3OrEoFAJQ3Cqw"}]},{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/it\/article\/modal\/13680\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea resize-vertical ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBreaking free from coal: Europe\u2019s regions forge a sustainable future with EU support\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Maritsa Iztok Complex in southeastern Bulgaria stands as a relic of the past. Since the 1950s, its four thermal power stations have powered the region, relying on coal from three nearby open-pit mines.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis type of mining is among the most environmentally damaging, and a long-overdue transition is now underway, promising to reshape the area in the coming years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis region, home to one of Bulgaria\u2019s largest coal mining and power plant complexes, is not alone. Across Europe, there remain\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energy.ec.europa.eu\/topics\/clean-energy-transition\/eu-coal-regions-transition_en\u0022\u003E31 coal regions in 11 EU countries\u003C\/a\u003E, with approximately 200\u0026nbsp;000 people employed in coal mines and power plants.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn neighbouring Greece, the Western Macedonia region is known for its highly polluting lignite mines and power plants. To the north, Romania\u2019s Mure\u0219 county also relies heavily on the fossil fuel industry for local employment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe challenge facing these regions is twofold. They need to rapidly replace coal with renewable sources of energy, while supporting local communities through the transition by creating new jobs and helping people retrain for the future.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFinding shared solutions\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPanagiotis Grammelis, research director at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) in northern Greece, is working to make that transition fair and effective.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe leads an important EU-funded initiative that will run until the end of 2026, and is part of a multinational team helping regions in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania develop a shared strategy for moving beyond coal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EWe are leaving the coal era and moving into the renewables era.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EPanagiotis Grammelis, COALition\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s not only a technological challenge,\u201d said Grammelis. \u201cIt\u2019s also a social one.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe initiative, called\u0026nbsp;COALition, takes a bottom-up approach. Regional hubs bring together researchers, policymakers, businesses and communities to shape locally tailored solutions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile each region has its own challenges, they share common goals: to advance clean energy technologies and manage the social realities of transition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are leaving the coal era and moving into the renewables era,\u201d said Grammelis. \u201cWe have common problems, common policy issues \u2013 and we want a common innovation model to address them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EEnsuring a fair transition\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe urgency is clear. Coal power in the EU has declined steadily since 2003, and in 2024, solar electricity production overtook coal for the first time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEnsuring\u0026nbsp;a fair transition to renewables is central to the EU\u2019s goal of becoming the world\u2019s first climate-neutral continent by 2050.\u0026nbsp;This is facilitated by the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/strategy-and-policy\/priorities-2019-2024\/european-green-deal\/finance-and-green-deal\/just-transition-mechanism_en\u0022\u003EJust Transition Mechanism\u003C\/a\u003E, which will mobilise around\u0026nbsp;\u20ac55\u0026nbsp;billion\u0026nbsp;between 2021 and 2027 to support the shift.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, where a third of jobs are tied to the local mining complex, even introducing the idea of an energy transition can be difficult.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re at the very beginning and resistance is still very strong,\u201d said Dr Rumyana Grozeva, executive director of the Stara Zagora Regional Economic Development Agency. \u201cPeople don\u2019t trust that the government can manage this well.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGrozeva, who has spent most of her life in Stara Zagora, stressed the need for genuine community engagement.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003ETransition is not just about planning, it is about communication.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EDr Rumyana Grozeva, COALition\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTransition is not just about planning, it is about communication,\u201d she said. Encouraging conversations about the energy transition are finally starting to happen.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGrozeva\u2019s team is working with local trade unions to identify the new professional skills that will be needed and ensure appropriate vocational training is available.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne example is a gap in hydrogen technology know-how. The team is now preparing proposals to introduce relevant training into the national curriculum.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGrozeva believes the region\u2019s future lies in sectors like clean hydrogen, mechatronics and sustainable agriculture.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese are the areas with the greatest potential for long-term, sustainable growth,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHydrogen on the horizon\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStara Zagora is positioning itself as one of Europe\u2019s two hydrogen valleys, thanks to a newly established Centre of Excellence in Hydrogen Technologies. The goal is for the region to produce 500 tonnes of clean hydrogen annually.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe long-term vision is for the entire value chain \u2013 from design and production to assembly and energy generation using hydrogen, solar and other renewables \u2013 to take place locally.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDeveloping such an industrial symbiosis \u2013 and the skilled workforce to support it \u2013 could be a great opportunity for the region,\u201d said Grozeva, who stressed the\u0026nbsp;vital importance of international collaboration in promoting the exchange of best practices between the regions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Western Macedonia, a similar initiative led by CERTH and supported by the Just Transition Fund is piloting green hydrogen technologies from production through to storage and use. An exchange of experiences between the regions is expected to bring positive results for both sides.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe European Commission\u2019s Joint Research Centre estimates that clean energy technologies could create up to 315\u0026nbsp;000 jobs in former EU coal regions, potentially rising to 460\u0026nbsp;000 by 2050.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut it is important that the new jobs match those that are being replaced.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou have to substitute the high salaries of the fossil fuel sector with new positions that can offer similar rates of pay,\u201d said Grammelis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELooking ahead, he sees the approach developed in COALition as a potential blueprint for other regions navigating similar shifts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis could be a scalable model for fair energy transitions \u2013 something that could guide other areas facing the same challenges.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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