News item | 06-12-2022 | 13:45
Up to and including 2027, the Dutch regions of Groningen-Emmen, IJmond, Groot-Rijnmond, West-Noord-Brabant, Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and South Limburg will receive a total of €623 million in additional European support from the so-called Just Transition Fund (JTF). The European Union (EU) makes this money available to regions with extra expenditure as a result of the ambition to achieve a climate-neutral economy by 2050. The JTF supports making the economy more sustainable and strengthening the labor market. The Dutch JTF program was submitted by Minister Adriaansens (Economic Affairs and Climate) and Minister Van Gennip (Social Affairs and Employment).
Minister Adriaansens (EZK): “The electrification of industrial processes, the use of green hydrogen and the use of bio-raw materials in chemistry. Three examples of relevant steps to realize a strong, future-proof economy through sustainability. It Just Transition Fund gives an extra push to residents and businesses in, for example, regions with a relatively large amount of energy-intensive industry. In addition to investments in technology and energy infrastructure, we can also use the money to train and retrain people for new green and digital jobs.”
Minister Van Gennip (SZW): “The Netherlands is becoming more sustainable. In 2050, we want to have a climate-neutral economy together. This calls for different ways of working and therefore also different types of jobs. To help with this, together with local organizations, a total of € 1.2 billion is being invested. A considerable amount with which we can really make a difference to make local economies climate neutral and train staff for a different type of work. I think it is important that attention is paid to a diverse labor market and that each region can work on what is most relevant to them.”
The Dutch JTF program was approved by the European Commission this month. In January 2023, the six regional subsidy programs will officially open to applicants, such as SMEs. Given the major impact of the climate transition and the scaling down of natural gas extraction in the Groningen-Emmen region, more than half of the allocated Dutch JTF resources (€330 million) will go to this region. The other five regions each receive €58.5 million from the EU. In addition, regions must also spend their own resources on these programmes. These investments must be at least as high as the allocated EU funds.