On 13 October, during the second day of the European Committee of the Region's autumn plenary session, Frans Timmermans, the Vice-President of the European Commission, opened the debate on the European Green Deal. Speaking to Mr Timmermans, ECR Member and Marshal of Małopolska region Witold Kozłowski emphasized the need for more EU funding to be allocated to regions which are in relatively early stages of the energy transition to greener alternatives. 

The ECR Member, who also serves as our Group's Deputy Coordinator in the CoR's Environment Commission, said that "achieving climate neutrality requires more support, including a stimulus in the form of additional financial resources". The goal of these funds should be to address the social and economic impacts of the transition. 

The Marshal praised the EU's proposal to establish the Just Transition Fund to help achieve this, but said that additional financial support for the most struggling regions will still be needed. He emphasized the need for a unified approach to reduce carbon emissions that is inclusive and mindful of the specificities in all regions throughout Europe. 

"A system must be put in place that combines a just environmental, economic and social transition. The Just Transition Mechanism, which aims to help eliminate the negative socio-economic effects of the energy transition, represents a great opportunity for a just energy transition in the regions, including Małopolska. But access to additional funds will be needed", said Mr Kozłowski. 

Małopolska is a region whose energy mostly comes from coal. The region started its energy transition in the 1990s, but the closure of two coal mines at that time has had negative economic and social consequences that last until today. 

The Polish region ranks 11th among European regions in terms of the number of jobs linked directly to extraction and use of this material and 12th in terms of the risk of the socio-economic impact of the energy transition. 

The region is taking ground-breaking steps to improve air quality and protect the climate. A LIFE Integrated Project that concerns air quality is being carried out and another climate-related project will begin in 2021.

What is more, Małopolska is one of the seven regions in Europe that is carrying out the START project, with the technical support of the Platform for Coal Regions in Transition. This cooperation has resulted in the development of a range of plans for pilot projects, whose total value was estimated at over PLN 3 billion.​