Title page
Contents
Abstract 6
Executive summary 7
Introduction 9
Chapter 1. Energy policy and the labour market - a general overview 12
1.1. Links between energy policy and labour market 12
1.2. Policy instruments and initiatives supporting just transition - a regional perspective 12
1.3. Overview of the relevant policies 15
1.3.1. EU policies and instruments 15
1.3.2. National and regional policies 16
1.4. Conclusion 18
Chapter 2. Transformation of the lignite industry - case studies 19
2.1. Lusatia, Germany 19
2.1.1. Definition of the region: basic characteristics 19
2.1.1.1. Location, area, population 19
2.1.1.2. Economic structure of the region 22
2.1.1.3. Regional labour market 25
2.1.2. A brief history of mining in the region 31
2.1.3. Policies and reasons behind the transition 32
2.1.4. Lignite mining in the region in times of transition 34
2.1.5. Transformation of the region in public policies 35
2.1.6. Funding of transformation 41
2.1.7. Conclusions 45
2.2. Wielkopolska region, Poland 47
2.2.1. Definition of the region: basic characteristics 47
2.2.1.1. Location, area, population 47
2.2.1.2. Economic structure of the region 49
2.2.1.3. Regional labour market 50
2.2.2. A brief history of lignite mining in the region 54
2.2.3. Policies and reasons behind the transition 55
2.2.4. Lignite mining in the region in time of the transition 56
2.2.5. Transformation of the region in public policies 58
2.2.6. Funding of transformation 61
2.2.7. Conclusions 62
2.3. Upper Nitra, Slovakia 65
2.3.1. Definition of the region and basic characteristics 65
2.3.1.1. The economic structure of the region 65
2.3.1.2. Regional labour market 68
2.3.2. A brief history of lignite mining in the region 71
2.3.3. Policies and reasons behind the transition 74
2.3.4. Lignite mining in the region in the time of transition 76
2.3.5. Transformation of the Upper Nitra in public policies 76
2.3.6. Funding the transformation 79
2.3.7. Conclusions 82
2.4. Case studies comparison 84
Chapter 3. Conclusions and recommendations 89
References 95
Annex 1 109
Table 1. Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices (2010-2020) 66
Table 2. Selected demographic indicators in 2020 69
Figure 1. Regions/locations in need of just transition, according to European Semester 14
Figure 2. The evolution of approaches towards climate and energy policies in the EU 15
Figure 3. The location of Lusatia in Germany 19
Figure 4. Map of Lusatia 20
Figure 5. Changes in the age structure - inhabitants from 18 to under 25 years 21
Figure 6. Changes in the age structure - inhabitants from 65 to under 70 years 21
Figure 7. Changes in migration flow (per 1000 persons) 22
Figure 8. Change in the income level (total compensation per employee) 23
Figure 9. Regional GDP in relation to national and European (EU 27) GDP (EURm) 23
Figure 10. Employees in Lusatia 24
Figure 11. Employment changes in different sectors and coal related jobs between year x and x-1 24
Figure 12. The location of Wielkopolska voivodeship in Poland 47
Figure 13. The location of Konin Lignite Basin in the Wielkopolska voivodeship 48
Figure 14. The migration attractiveness rate in 2019 48
Figure 15. GDP per capita in relation to the voivodeship's average, 2018 49
Figure 16. Business entities per 10,000 population in 2020 50
Figure 17. Unemployment rate in 2021 51
Figure 18. The employment structure in Eastern Wielkopolska, Wielkopolska voivodeship and Poland in 2018 52
Figure 19. Average salary in Eastern Wielkopolska, the Wielkopolska voivodeship and Poland in 2010-2019 52
Figure 20. Trade unions registration density by voivodeship in Poland in 2018 53
Figure 21. Employers' associations registration in Poland by voivodeship, 2018 53
Figure 22. The location of Upper Nitra in Slovakia 65
Figure 23. Labour productivity in industry 67
Figure 24. Unemployment rate January 2018-May 2022 68
Figure 25. Average nominal wage 2009-2020 70
Figure 26. Sectoral average nominal wage in Prievidza district and the Slovak economy (average 2016-2020) 71
Figure 27. Production of lignite in the Upper Nitra 72
Figure 28. Number of mining company employees in the Upper Nitra 72
Figure 29. Feed In Tariff for Domestic Lignite 2007-2020 73
Figure 30. Analytical framework for the round-table and stakeholders' interviews 84
Boxes
Box 1. ZE PAK initiatives supporting their employees in the energy transition 60
Annex Tables
Table 1. List of indicators for each case study 109