Annual Political Dialogue – Initiative for coal regions in transition

The fifth Annual Political Dialogue of the Initiative for coal regions in transition, will be held from 11-12 July in Velenje, Slovenia. The event is jointly organised by the European Commission, the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development of Slovenia and the Municipality of Velenje. It invites stakeholders from all EU coal, peat, lignite and oil shale regions – the coal+ regions – to gather, take stock of the progress achieved (since the start of the Initiative in 2018), and discuss common challenges they face in today’s quickly-evolving energy landscape. A number of high-level speakers will lead the event discussions, including:

• Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for European Green Deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight
• Aleksander Jevšek, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development of Slovenia
• Peter Dermol, Mayor of Velenje

The opening session will celebrate 5 years of EU coal+ regions in transition, and includes a discussion on the industrial and green transition witnessed in EU coal+ regions. Following this, we will launch an exhibition on brownfields, industrial infrastructure and coal mines converted into business districts, energy sites and places of cultural significance. A dedicated session will focus on tackling energy poverty in coal regions and empowering citizens for an energy transition, and the afternoon continues with site visits.

Day 2 includes sessions on the transition of district heating systems in coal+ regions, and on social and inclusive transitions of coal+ regions. Read more in the detailed agenda.

We look forward to welcoming you in Velenje!

Agenda

Registration

The deadline to register for in-person attendance is 18 June 2024
The deadline to register for online attendance is 10 July 2024

If you have any questions regarding the event, you can contact us at: secretariatcoalregions [dot] eu (secretariat[at]coalregions[dot]eu)

For social media: #CoalregionsEU

Related links

• EU coal regions
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• Social media: @Energy4Europe