On 16-17 October 2019, the 6th meeting of the Working Groups of the European Commission's initiative “Platform for Coal Regions in Transition” took place in Brussels, which concerns the support of Europe's coal-bearing regions that are facing the problem of transitioning their economies to a new productive model, among which is Western Macedonia.
It is a common observation that regional strategies for the transition to a new era without coal require considerable effort and time. They are multi-level processes, where the problems of job losses and the shrinkage of the energy sector will have to be addressed through the development of new, sustainable economic activities and the skills of the human workforce.
A highly significant tool in this direction is the development of an interregional dialogue involving all transition regions, which can contribute to the development and implementation of transition strategies in each area through interregional collaborations.
The Region of Western Macedonia participated in the first day of the meeting, coordinating alongside the Region of Brandenburg (Germany) the interregional dialogue session with Dimitris Mavromatidis – Coordinator of the Coal Platform Group for Western Macedonia – focusing on a specific thematic subject: the necessity of reskilling and training the human workforce as a key element of transition strategies.