Unlike the US president, the European Commission acknowledges this development and has introduced a new platform intended to help the “Coal Regions in Transition” manage these changes, adjust to the new life beyond coal and in general smoothen the process of transition as much as possible.
Extra funding has been allocated to this initiative on top of the usual cohesion funds the EU uses for the developments of its poorer regions.
It is important, however, to ensure that this initiative truly serves to prepare Europe for the post-coal era and does not play in the hands of the coal industry by supporting the so-called “clean” coal technologies, which has not been proven to work.
[ > EUROPEUM — April 2018 ]
