The Ambassador of Slovakia visited the Regional Governor of Western Macedonia

The Ambassador of Slovakia, Iveta Hricová, visited the Regional Governor of Western Macedonia, Theodoros Karypidis, on Thursday 8 March.
At the centre of the meeting was the issue that unites Slovakia with Greece and is currently on the negotiating table: the transition of Europe's regions with lignite mines, within the framework of the European Commission's initiative for the Coal Platform.

Specific steps were decided upon to strengthen cooperation in this area and to prepare a joint decision to be presented in Brussels.
“We have assumed a great responsibility towards the region, the country, and indeed all the energy regions of the European Union participating in the pilot programme for the transition,” the Regional Governor stressed after the meeting.
“Today we discussed the questions I have also raised in Strasbourg: ‘what about lignite?’ and ‘what after lignite?’. The Ambassador and I have found common ground in order to shape those policies that must be adopted at a European level. By mobilising knowledge to create a legal framework so that the energy regions continue to be energy regions and proceed to a smooth transition, whilst simultaneously addressing matters of the economy and employment, as well as the quality of life of the people,” the Regional Governor of Western Macedonia, Theodoros Karypidis, noted in concluding his remarks.