Coal regions in the Western Balkans, Ukraine and the EU are invited to join an exchange programme to accelerate just local energy transitions, the Energy Community Secretariat said on its website.

The exchange programme is part of the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine, officially launched in December 2020. It is managed by the European Commission in cooperation with the Energy Community, the World Bank, EBRD, EIB, Poland’s National Fund for Environment Protection and Water Management and the College of Europe in Natolin.

Interested applicants are invited to apply by September 15, 2021. Information on eligibility and application process is available on the programme’s webpage.

The participating regions will be paired based on their interests and expertise

The programme is an opportunity for regions to start direct, one-to-one dialogues, connect with different stakeholders, learn from each other, and transfer knowledge, the secretariat said.

The participating regions will be paired based on their interests and expertise, and they will select topics relevant to coal phaseout to be explored in depth. Priority will be given to forming pairs made up of one coal region from the Western Balkans or Ukraine and one coal region from the EU. However, this is flexible and needs-based.

All participating regions will benefit from funded study visits, knowledge exchange, and expert support. In addition to tailored expert support, regions will access advice from their peers through hands-on learning opportunities, and will gain access to tools and support to help them reflect on and evaluate their transitions so far, and map out their next steps. The programme is also a unique networking opportunity, the secretariat said.