What is START?
START is a technical assistance service for coal+ regions, offering support across a wide array of transition topics. It assists efforts to decarbonise energy production and usage, diversify economic activities, and progress social development in regions and communities that are heavily affected by the transition away from fossil fuels.
START can help overcome shortcomings in local knowledge and capacities and to complement other technical assistance and capacity-building instruments.
What can START provide?
START provides demand-led, tailored support to assist coal+ regions, sub-regions, and local communities in achieving a just transition away from fossil fuel-based activities. It builds capacity across a wide array of topics, from developing a comprehensive transition strategy and pipeline of projects, to providing advice on specific transition-related thematic areas and topics, including strategy development, governance, stakeholder consultation and engagement, community cohesion and resilience, and project identification and assessment.
Each assignment typically offers 50-100 person-days of support, delivered over 6-10 months.
Supported regions
START recipients represent a diverse cross-section of regions and communities. They display different features, including resource type (hard coal, lignite, peat), socio-economic structure, industrial characteristics (mono-industrial and diversified) and geographic attributes (rural, urban, endowment of natural resources and assets). They are also at different stages of their transition processes. Such regional variety contributes to a rich exchange of transition lessons.
To ensure coordinated and integrated support to START regions, the Secretariat works closely with relevant European Commission partners, including the Directorates-General for Energy, Regional and Urban Policy, and for Structural Reform Support, as well as other providers of support, such as the European Investment Bank and the World Bank.
Click through the fields below to access outputs and additional information about START support, which may help guide your own region’s transition.
START provided support to the Government of the Principality of Asturias (Directorate-General of Energy, Mining and after-coal Development) and the Regional Energy Agency (FAEN) for the development of a regional energy transition strategy and for the identification and prioritisation of transition-related projects.
START is working with the Principality of Asturias to shape and enhance the operation and future development of the Asturian Just Transition Observatory. It is also providing advice to facilitate local companies' access to finance for just transition related investments.
START provided guidance, research and support to NGOs (Europe, a Patient and WOES) to facilitate co-operative and social economy development in communities affected by coal phase-out.
START is providing Gorj County Council with support to enhance the effectiveness of the local working group that is responsible for co-ordinating and monitoring the transition process in Gorj County. In addition, the support will develop an initial inventory of key strategic project ideas and develop several related project fiches.
START provided research, advice and consultation assistance to the trade union, BDSZ, on green diversification and adaptation in Heves County to create jobs for workers affected by lignite phase-out, whilst considering support measures for older workers.
START provided support to the Jiu Valley Partnership for Just Transition (representing the six territorial units of the Jiu Valley) for the identification, design, and development of priority transition projects, alongside assessing the accompanying governance and capacity development requirements for promotion and implementation of transition projects.
START provided support to the Government of Karlovy Vary Region (Karlovarský kraj) and the Association for the development of the Microregion Sokolov – East. The support focussed on the following main thematic areas: employment opportunities and future skills needs; renewable energy supply and energy efficiency prospects; and viable approaches to sub-regional economic development and employment creation.
START provided support for the identification and prioritisation of just transition projects in several local economies in Lower Silesia and supported partnership working to enable development of project concepts to access public funding.
START is providing support to the Association leading the Świdnica Renewable Energy Cluster to further develop cluster's activities with a focus on education, communication and involvement of stakeholders in energy transition.
START provided support to the Marshal Office of Małopolska Region and to various promoters of local transition projects to help develop demonstration transition projects in mining municipalities.
START provided support to the Just Transition Plan Technical Secretariat to assess opportunities to build on local assets to create a new economy in Megalopolis. Support focussed on: employment and skills; micro-entrepreneurship and start-ups; investment attraction and technology transfer; and governance and capacity-building.
START provided support to the Midlands Regional Transition Team for the identification of transition projects and the planning and coordination of transition-related activities. The support focussed on: community consultation; transition project identification and assessment; employment opportunities and skills needs; and transition planning and monitoring.
START provided guidance and support to Offaly County Council and other local actors (including the newly Created Technology University of the Shannon) for the creation of a new partnership model to facilitate a Just Transition in communities affected by peat phase-out.
START provided support to national and regional administrations for the promotion and development of energy communities in Sulcis-Iglesiente and, in turn, used these activities as a catalyst for fostering transition dialogue among local stakeholders, and for formulating transition governance and coordination options.
START provided support to the Marshal Office of Silesia Voivodeship for the development of a method (framework) for the identification, assessment, and prioritisation of options for the rehabilitation and repurposing of mining and other brownfield sites.
START returned to Silesia in 2023 to provide support to the Marshal's Office of the Silesian Voivodeship to strengthen their transition communication. This included conducting a survey to assess communication needs, reviewing the region's just transition website, and creating a Handbook that will enable the region to craft, implement and monitor a transition-specific communications strategy.
START provided support to the Stara Zagora Regional Economic Development Agency for the development of a concise, overarching transition narrative and insights on the development and diversification of key sectors that could build on the region’s assets and support a just energy transition.
START is providing support to the Regional Development Agency of Zasavje to develop a narrative and priorities for the region’s diversification and transition from 2028 onwards. It is also giving advice and guidance regarding the region’s circular economy ambitions and plans.