Third Annual Political Dialogue of the EU initiative for coal regions in transition

The European Commission and the Principado de Asturias are co-organising the third Annual Political Dialogue of the EU initiative for coal regions in transition on 7 July 2022, in Oviedo (Spain).

This will be an occasion for stakeholders of all EU coal, peat and oil shale regions to gather, take stock of the progress achieved since the start of the initiative in 2018, and discuss the common challenges they face, old and new, in today’s fast-evolving energy landscape.

The specific purpose of the event is to give a voice to the actual leading figures of the transition, those that are designing and implementing the transition on the ground, in coal, peat and oil shale regions, in EU capitals, and in Brussels.

The programme will include high-level, strategic discussions on what EU coal regions will be confronted with on their path to climate neutrality and how it can be implemented in a just and inclusive way. The main themes foreseen for the event are

• the role of EU coal regions in a fast-changing energy world
• the place of EU coal regions in new value chains – especially looking at renewable energy value chains
• the way forward for coal regions to sustain thriving local communities

A number of high-level speakers will be present at the event, including

• Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy (remotely)
• Teresa Ribera, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Ecological Transition of Spain
• Adrian Barbón, President of the Principado de Asturias

The main event will be followed by a series of site visits for participants organised on 8 July by the Principado de Asturias to find out more about the main challenges and new perspectives of this territory in transition.

The event was live-streamed feed. The recording is available on DG ENER's YouTube channel.

• Coal regions and the future of energy (Newsletter article) (13 July 2022)