Empowering Regions: Advancing Just Transition Through Energy Efficiency, Education & Citizen Support 

As Europe accelerates its transition to a climate-neutral economy, regions historically dependent on fossil fuels face significant economic and social challenges. Ensuring that no one is left behind requires strong policies, financial support, and citizen engagement. But how can we make the transition fair, inclusive, and effective? 

This online roundtable brings together policymakers, experts, and stakeholders to discuss the crucial role of energy efficiency, education, and citizen support in Just Transition regions. Through expert insights and real-world experiences, we will explore how to empower regions and cities, tackle energy poverty, and support industries and citizens in the transition process. 

As Europe’s regions move toward a greener future, collaboration and knowledge-sharing are key to ensuring a Just Transition that benefits all. Join us for this important discussion and help shape the future of sustainable and inclusive regional transformation. 

Why is it important? 

While energy efficiency is a powerful tool for ensuring a fair and inclusive Just Transition, several economic, social, and policy-related challenges need to be addressed to maximise its impact, like financial Barriers & Investment. Upfront costs for energy efficiency improvements (e.g., building renovations and industrial retrofits) can be high, making them inaccessible for low-income households and small businesses in transition regions. Local governments and SMEs also struggle to access finance for large-scale efficiency projects. Additionally, the complexity of funding mechanisms (e.g., Just Transition Fund, Social Climate Fund) makes it difficult for local actors to navigate and secure support. 

Furthermore, challenges such as social inequality in the development of energy efficiency measures, shortages in skilled workers across construction, energy services, and green technologies, as well as governance issues and policy misalignment, make this a particularly pressing topic to address. With this discussion, we aim to break the silos between Just Transition and Energy Efficiency Policies, tackle fragmented approaches, and raise awareness about the important role of local and regional governments and their energy agencies in bridging the gap. 

The Just Transition and Energy Efficiency First (EE1st) principles ensure that Europe’s shift to a climate-neutral economy is fair, inclusive, and competitive. In a multi-crisis context, the EU and its regions and cities face the challenge of avoiding the energy transition to trigger socio-economic challenges due to energy price increases and turning it into an opportunity, ensuring fairness, independence, and security. We stand at a turning point, where energy efficiency implementation has a great role to play in ensuring a Just Transition, phasing out of fossil fuel, phasing out of dependence on Russia and energy, and ensuring renewable energy rollout. Energy Efficiency and Just Transition should remain the centre of the Clean Industrial Deal and Affordable Energy Action Plan, as energy efficiency will also provide cheaper energy costs to industries, triggering their competitiveness. 

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Agenda

This event is organised by the Regio1st project 

REGIO1ST raises awareness about the Energy Efficiency First principle (EE1st) among regional governments and their agencies and supports them to make related decisions in their planning. It does so through the provision of appropriate guidance to regional authorities to embed the EE1st principle in their decisions and in the implementation of their energy plans.