Implementation period: 2022-11-01 - 2025-04-30
Type: International
Division: The Division of Strategic Research
Transitions towards low-carbon energy systems and net-zero economies have started to be comprehensive and demanding, requiring substantial public support, new business models and new governance practices. Coal regions are the ones, where the Energy Transition is strongly linked to risks and potentially negative economic impacts for municipalities, regions, companies and individual workers.
SITRANS aims at promoting a “Just Transition Process” (based on the principle “leaving no one behind”) through the assessment of the economic and social impact of the energy transition at the regional and intra-regional level and the development of an effective model of governance of just transition which incorporates a place-based approach.
In particular, the project will promote a place-based governance approach and tailor-made transformative policies in areas that are intensely experiencing the process of coal phaseout.
It is estimated to enhance public and citizens’ engagement and the legitimacy of policies in the perception of citizens who suffer the consequences of the success or failure of these strategies through deliberative democratic practices.
SITRANS aims at the proper use of the resources of the Just Transition Mechanism and other sources of public and private funding through an effective governance model which is important to be accompanied by an effective mechanism for scientific monitoring, analysis, evaluation and formulation of evidence-based policy proposals. An important stage in the project is to lay the foundations for the creation of an independent Just Energy Transition Observatory (JETO). The JETO will host and monitor evaluation models based on predefined indicators and criteria that will be jointly defined in the context of public consultation.
To test and validate SITRANS’ models and approaches, 4 European areas that have coal-intensive economies (Western Macedonia, Silesia, Stara Zagora, and Sardinia) will participate as demo sites to test capacity-building activities, socio-economic challenges, and specific just-transition issues.
The consortium consists of seven partners:
• University of Western Macedonia (Greece), coordinator
• Fondazione ICONS (Italy)
• Flexiwatt Idiotiki Kefalaiouchiki Etaireia (Greece)
• Agentsiya Regionalno Ikonomichesko Razvitie (Bułgaria)
• Etaireia Meleton Ypiresion Kai Logismikou Geochorikis Pliroforias I.K.E. (Greece)
• Agenzia regionale per l’attuazione dei programmi regionali in campo agricolo e per lo sviluppo rurale – LAORE (Italy)
• Instytut Gospodarki Surowcami Mineralnymi i Energia PAN (Poland)
SITRANS is an EU funded project.
