The joint delegation of the European Commission and the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development visited the Zasavje region on 22 May 2024.They stopped at the Zasavje Just Transition Centre to learn about their work and the ongoing projects.
In his speech, Minister Dr. Aleksander Jevšek underlined the importance of balanced regional development. He also emphasised that the Zasavje region must catch up with more developed counterparts. To this end, the new Development, Demonstration and Training Centre in Zero Carbon Technologies has been classified as an operation of strategic importance in Slovenia’s EU Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027.
Sofia Alves from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy welcomed Slovenia’s inclusive approach to planning and implementation of projects in the coal regions in transition. She also called for effective project implementation in the future.
The 2021-2027 programming period kicked off in 2023. The Just Transition Fund (JTF) is a novelty of the 2021-2027 programming period. Two Slovenian coal regions are eligible for funding under this instrument, i.e., Savinjsko-Šaleška and Zasavska. The JTF aims to support the economic restructuring and diversification in the areas affected by the exit from coal. Around EUR 250 million is available for both coal regions.
The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development issued a funding decision for a call for proposals targeting the two coal regions. The call will support the economic restructuring in both coal regions and will be published by the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport on 24 May 2024. It will make a total of EUR 68.7 million available from the Just Transition Fund. EUR 26.2 million will be earmarked for the Zasavska region and EUR 42.5 million for the Savinjsko-Šaleška region.
Hi, my name is EMA, how can I help you?
