We will look for answers to these questions with Petr Globočník, a social worker and politician from Litvínov, Zuzana Vondrová from the Center for Transport and Energy, Marika Volfová from the Platform for social-ecological transformation Re-set or Radana Leistner Kratochvílová from the Ministry of the Environment.
More than 40 billion crowns will go into the just transformation
Voices of Transformation Podcast: The climate is changing, so are we. It was created in the organization People in Need
The fifth episode was prepared by: Filip Rambousek
Sound mixing was done by: Jiří Slavičínský
Music composed by: Tomas Pernicky
Dramaturgy was represented by: Magdalena Trusinová
Material accuracy is guaranteed by: Magdalena Davis
The author of the visual is: Kateřina Čiberová
The concept of just transformation has started to appear more often in the Czech public space only in the last few years. And above all in connection with the program of the same name, which was launched by the European Union in 2021.
“The just transformation fund, from which we will get just over 40 billion crowns, is unique in that it is intended exclusively for three so-called structurally affected regions. Thanks to this, these regions have the opportunity to tailor solutions precisely to their needs. That’s what makes this opportunity unique, and that’s why it’s important that we make the most of it, because it doesn’t have to happen again,” adds Zuzana Vondrová from the Center for Transport and Energy.
Can we use EU funds effectively?
The Czech Republic draws funds from the Just Transformation Fund between 2021 and 2027, so we are roughly halfway through the entire process. However, a number of experts are already pointing out that the way in which this European money is redistributed in the Czech Republic is problematic in some respects. For example, it is a decision to allocate roughly half of the funds from the Just Transformation Fund, i.e. roughly 20 billion crowns, to large, so-called strategic projects.
“First, money is distributed for strategic projects, which often do not correspond to the real needs of the coal regions. These are projects of big players who had them ready in a drawer, and now, when there is an opportunity to get money for them, they are gradually pulling them out. But no one asked the employees and people who live in the coal regions what their needs are and what topics are key for them,” criticizes Marika Volfová from the Platform for social-ecological transformation Re-set.
Ministry of the Environment: A big project does not mean that we support a big company
Radana Leistner Kratochvílová from the Ministry of the Environment does not agree with the criticism directed at the big players. “A big project does not mean that we support a big company. About a third are university projects, another third are public and state administration and non-profit sector projects, and the last, smallest part are private sector projects, which of course also include small and medium-sized enterprise projects. We should rather look at what the individual projects are dedicated to and what they will contribute to the area,” says Leistner Kratochvílová.
Voices of change: The climate is changing, we are also changing is one of the outcomes of the climate programs of People in Need, which aim to increase the resistance of the Czech landscape to the adverse effects of climate change. In the LIFE WILL project, People in Need supports adaptation measures at the local level, whether it is measures against unexpected floods, significant drought, soil erosion, or loss of biodiversity in the landscape.
The choice of actors in the podcast takes into account precisely these climate activities of People in Need.
From a thematic point of view, strategic projects focus on the restoration of the landscape after mining, but also on the support of innovation and the development of modern technologies.
Money for the companies that initially devastated the region?
However, a number of organizations, including the Center for Transport and Energy or the Re-set platform, have long warned of the risk that part of the funds from the Just Transformation Fund may end up with problematic companies.
“We perceive as a big problem the fact that money is also going to companies that have so far gotten rich from coal mining. Coal companies, which have made a lot of money from mining and caused a lot of damage, will now draw additional funds for their activities. That doesn’t seem fair to us,” says Volfová.
The failure of a just transformation can cost us dearly
A just transition presents a great opportunity to improve the quality of life in regions that have long been dependent on coal mining and burning. At the same time, there is also a great risk of negative impacts – in the event that a fair transformation fails, Volfová points out.
“Any failure could deepen the mistrust of part of the public in institutions and politics. People see that money is being distributed, but they don’t feel that it is their money, that it is money that they can also ask for, that the whole process affects them in some way. Distrust in the whole process is high. People do not feel that there is any fair transformation going on here. This shows that we have to do it differently,” says Volfová.
In Germany, the public became more involved
A frequent subject of criticism is also the insufficient involvement of the public in the whole process of just transformation – the ordinary people who live in the coal regions. “For me, it would be ideal if the entire process of distributing money and announcing subsidy titles was preceded by an intensive information campaign in the streets, in order to completely fulfill the motto ‘No one will be left behind’,” explains Lithuanian social worker and politician Petr Globočník.
“We don’t have to go far for examples. For example, it worked like this in Germany, and that’s why the money was used there in a much better way than is actually threatened here in the Ústí Region,” he adds.
Politicians do not want to delay debates with citizens
If the public is not more involved in decision-making, there is a risk that a fair transformation will not fulfill its potential, and it may, on the contrary, deepen the mistrust of a part of society in the democratic system, Globočník believes.
“We in the Czech Republic wonder why we have an increase in extremism, various pro-Russian waves and the like. This is because a large part of society feels left out. The top politicians pretend to be interested, but they do not support participation and do not want to stay with it. But I don’t think it’s possible without her. In the words of a classic: it is further, but a worse road. But it will bear the results. If we underestimate public involvement, we will never see a better society. And it is not only the Ústí Region, but the entire Czech Republic,” concludes Globočník.
Listen to the entire fifth episode in audio.
Tags: Nojust transformation Czech Republic future coal regions
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