Today an EU Platform for Coal Regions in Transition is being launched by European Commission Vice-President Šefčovič. The Platform aims to support Member States and regions as they shift away from coal towards renewable energy, in order to “leave no region behind”.
The launch was welcomed by WWF EU office and Climate Action Network Europe.
Imke Lübbeke, Head of Climate and Energy at WWF European Policy Office commented:
“This is great news for regions struggling to imagine a future beyond coal. The Platform for Coal Regions in Transition must help Europe move collectively and fairly away from coal mining and coal power in all its forms by 2030 at the latest. However, the Platform must not be an excuse to provide life-support to outdated, polluting technologies, but should help communities harness the exciting opportunities of Europe’s renewable energy future. ”
Joanna Flisowska, coal policy coordinator at Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe said:
“This is a long-awaited initiative as the transition towards clean energy-based economies has already started. Now the European Commission needs to ensure that no one is left behind, starting with support for coal region workers and communities. While subsidising fossil fuels and coal in particular has to end, additional funding for the just transition is needed. By integrating the just transition funding clearly into the next long-term EU budget, the commission has the opportunity to ensure that the clean energy and the just transition go hand-in-hand as these are the two sides of the same coin.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
European Commission press release announcing the launch of the Platform.
Powering Past Coal alliance
The Global Alliance to Power Past Coal was launched at COP23 in November with the aim of “achieving the rapid phase-out of traditional coal power”. It brings together over 20 countries – including 10 EU Member States – as well as businesses and civil society groups.
More countries are expected to join at the One Planet Summit in Paris on Tuesday 12 December.
Europe Beyond Coal campaign
The campaign brings together civil society groups and citizens across Europe who have been working together to help heal coal’s social, health, environmental, and economic damage. Given the unprecedented scale of the problems we face and the short timeframe we have to fix them, the groups are pooling their time, energy, and resources in an unprecedented campaign spanning 28 countries to dramatically accelerate the transition to a better future for all, for a Europe Beyond Coal.
Contacts:
Sarah Azau, sazau@wwf.eu, +32 473 573 137
Nicolas Derobert, nicolas@caneurope.org, +32 289 446 73
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is Europe’s largest coalition working on climate and energy issues. With over 140 member organisations in more than 30 European countries – representing over 44 million citizens – CAN Europe works to prevent dangerous climate change and promote sustainable climate and energy policy in Europe.
