On Wednesday, 26 February 2020, the European Commission published the 27 country reports as a basic exercise of the so called “European Semester”.
Besides the recommendations given by the European Commission, each country report contains an annex ”D” in which the Commission defines the regions applicable for the Just Transition Mechanism. (See map below for the full list).
The Politico article 'What each country would receive from the Just Transition Fund' shows an estimate of how much each Member State might receive from the Just Transition Mechanism (based on the European Commission proposal and subject to adoption of the MFF).
European think tank, Breugel, has provided an assessment of the EU's proposals to provide support to economies which are trying to move away from a reliance on fossil fuels. Titled 'How good is the European Commission’s Just Transition Fund proposal?', this policy contribution was written by Aliénor Cameron, Grégory Claeys, Catarina Midões and Simone Tagliapietra.
The map below shows the territories which are eligible for the Just Transition Fund, as proposed by the European Commission.
Just Transition Fund [EU Legislation In Progress] - Written by Pernilla Jourde and Agnieszka Widuto, European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
18 February 2020
The EU aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 % by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This will require a socio-economic transformation in regions relying on fossil fuels and carbon-intensive industries. As part of the European Green Deal, on 14 January 2020, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation to create the Just Transition Fund, aimed at supporting EU regions most affected by the transition to a low carbon economy.
Funding will be available to all Member States, while focusing on regions with the biggest transition challenges. The fund will support workers, companies, and regional authorities, encouraging investments that facilitate the transition. The proposed budget for the Just Transition Fund (JTF) is €7.5 billion, to be complemented with resources from cohesion policy funds and national co‑financing (up to a total of €30-50 billion). The Fund will be part of a Just Transition Mechanism, which also includes resources under InvestEU and loans from the European Investment Bank. Total funding mobilised under the mechanism is expected to reach €100 billion, according to the Commission.
In the European Parliament, the file has been entrusted to the Committee on Regional Development. The committee is due to hold a workshop on 19 February 2020 before starting discussion on the rapporteur’s draft report.