Target areas are coal regions in in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine, all countries in which coal mining and coal-based electricity generation are still significant.
The Energy Community (EnC) Secretariat announced the launch of a new platform to support coal regions in transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine. The Platform Initiative will support coal regions in transition through knowledge exchange, peer-to-peer learning visits, technical assistance, access to a global learning academy for coal regions and financial assistance for transition projects.
As one of the implementing institutions, the Secretariat will provide input and ensure consistency of the planned activities in the coal mining regions in Western Balkans and Ukraine with national plans related to coal use and reforms of the energy system. The other implementing institutions are the World Bank, the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the College of Europe (Natolin College) and the Government of Poland.
The first platform meeting is expected as early as this fall. The activities envisaged by the initiative include organizing knowledge-sharing meetings, facilitating EU – Western Balkans and EU – Ukraine coal regions twinning, providing technical assistance for pilot coal regions, and financing transition projects and programs.
