The Just Transition Development Programme 2021-2027 with a total budget of 1,63 billion euros, is co-financed by the Just Transition Fund (JTF) and implemented under the Cohesion Policy. The Programme contributes to the single specific objective of JTF, enabling regions and people to address the social, employment, economic and environmental impacts of the transition towards the Union’s 2030 targets for energy and climate and a climate-neutral economy of the Union by 2050, based on the Paris Agreement.

The JTD Programme focuses on supporting specific areas of the country affected by the cessation of lignite activity and the phasing out of inefficient and highly polluting autonomous power stations using fuel oil and diesel. The intervention areas are defined in the 3 TJTPs, in accordance with the criteria set out in Article 11 of Regulation JTF: The Regions of Western Macedonia, North Aegean, South Aegean, Crete and the wider area of Megalopoli in the Peloponnese Region.

The Programme includes a coherent set of measures, providing a new impetus for the affected territories. It focuses on the transformation of local economies, on the support of investments leading to economic diversification and modernization, and on direct support and employment promotion measures for human resources affected by the transition.

Priorities and indicative actions:

1. Strengthening and Promoting Entrepreneurship: actions enhancing the competitiveness and digital transformation of existing businesses, linking RTDI to production and promoting start-ups.
2. Energy Transition – Climate Neutrality: actions aiming to improve the energy efficiency of the building stock, affordable clean energy systems and infrastructure, including its storage technologies.
3. Repurposing of land uses – Circular Economy: regeneration and re-use of degraded land and facilities, green infrastructure and technical land repurposing works, strengthening circular economy.
4. Just Labour Transition: upskilling & reskilling actions of workforce, investments in infrastructure for the purposes of education, training and facilitating labour market integration.
5. Small-scale integrated interventions: measures to improve the quality of life of residents and the diversification of local economies.
6. Technical Assistance: it covers the necessary expenditure (supply of goods and services, support of Beneficiaries etc.) to support the achievement of the objectives of the JTD Programme.

Greece is the first country to have its Just Transition Fund Programme and plans adopted by the European Commission; thereby raising the transition towards a climate-neutral economy in a fair and sustainable way, into a national priority.