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The Gorj County Council applied, in February of this year, to the call for the START Technical Assistance Program, launched by the European Union Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition. The Gorj County project is one of the 4 selected to benefit from technical support from the Secretariat of the Initiative in achieving a just transition, along with those from the regions of Asturias (Spain), Lower Silesia (Poland) and Zasavje (Slovenia).
“In order to establish the details of the implementation, a delegation of the Secretariat of the Initiative for coal-bearing regions in transition carried out, between April 23-24, 2024, a working visit to Gorj county. The delegation, made up of three consultants from the START Initiative, namely Paul Baker, Robert Pollock and Veronika Muller, held, during the visit, discussions with the members of the Working Group for coordinating the transition to climate neutrality at the level of Gorj County, with representatives of the County Agency for Gorj Employment, with the representatives of “Constantin Brâncusi” University from Târgu Jiu, as well as with the business environment.
The officials of the START initiative made a trip to the city of Rovinari, a locality directly affected by the transition process, to find out about the approaches that the public administration has, in relation to socio-economic changes and future challenges. The representatives of the town hall also organized a trip to the surface mining operation in Gârla, which is currently closed. The technical assistance process is developed based on the specific needs of each region, and in Gorj County it will take place in the second part of 2024.
Through this program, the Working Group for the coordination of the transition to climate neutrality, and the County Council, as coordinator, will benefit from technical support, adapted to carry out a portfolio of strategic projects and encourage the development of the green economy in the county. At the same time, the technical assistance will also support the strengthening of the capacity of the Working Group, to ensure a transparent, participatory and collaborative implementation process of the Just Transition Program 2021-2027 and prospects for the Social Fund for the Climate” the Gorj County Council team sent.
