A fundamental transformation to a sustainable economy and society requires substantial financial resources to be delivered and internalizing lessons learned from previous stages. Programs aiming to provide decarbonization and just transition are not new in the European Union. There is a valuable learning experience that may contribute to achieving decarbonization goals for 2050. How is this heritage being used? Are the lessons learned from past experiences integrated into the new policies that address the same issues? The Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition (ICRT) and now the Just Transition Fund (JTF) are two subsequent instruments designed to deliver a just transition for the regions most affected by the transition. Just Transition Fund (JTF) is a Cohesion Policy instrument that addresses regional disparities and delivers a structural change. Given its scale and financial resources, it might be considered the EU’s most advanced tool to build a fair and just transition. The Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition (ICRT), the precursor and, at the same time, JTF “sister” program, was established in 2017 under the “Clean Energy for all Europeans” package to assist EU coal, peat, lignite, and oil shale regions to become sustainable, supporting their efforts to have a fair transition.
This paper will explore the European Union’s capacity to learn from its experience by looking at a financial instrument designed to make green transition fair, the Just Transition Fund. Based on the available literature public reports, JTF will first be described and compared with the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition. Then, in the second part, to gain a deeper understanding of these two policies’ implementation, I will analyze how they are implemented in Romania by conducting a series of interviews with experts and officials in the transition of carbon-intense regions.
Keywords: just transition, carbon and coal intense regions, learning in public policies, Just
Transition Fund, The Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition.