The LIFE project JUSTince in transition and EMpowerment against energy poverty (JUSTEM) (2022–2025) has come to an end. The project empowered over 1,500 citizens and supported regional authorities in six European coal regions by strengthening public engagement and aligning just transition plans with local needs and priorities.
What did JUSTEM set out to achieve?
To address climate change, European coal regions must phase out coal and shift toward sustainable energy sources. However, when the JUSTince in Transition and EMpowerment against Energy Poverty (JUSTEM) project (2022–2025) began, many countries were reconsidering or delaying their coal phase-out timelines due to rising energy prices triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These price increases heightened the risk of energy poverty—when people are unable to afford socially and materially required levels of household energy services—also but not only in coal-dependent regions. JUSTEM placed strong emphasis on the social dimension of the energy transition, with a particular focus on tackling energy poverty. Without careful consideration of local conditions, transition plans risk deepening existing inequalities, increasing unemployment, and accelerating economic migration.
In line with the EU’s principle of “leaving no one behind,” JUSTEM tackled the just transition from a holistic perspective. The overarching goal was to enhance regional capacity and ensure citizen engagement in shaping transition strategies that identify and address their specific needs. This was pursued by setting three key objectives:
- Generate practical solutions for developing and strengthening capacities and involvement of citizens in the just transition.
- Use bottom-up methods to improve and align regional energy and climate strategies and propose concrete projects for each coal region.
- Evaluate multiple benefits of the proposed strategies, advancing the knowledge on energy poverty and the means for its alleviation.
What JUSTEM did and achieved
JUSTEM adopted a dual approach, targeting both citizens in coal regions and regional policymakers. The project empowered over 1,500 citizens through tailored capacity-development activities aimed at strengthening their understanding of and involvement in the transition process and boosting confidence in a coal-free future. Simultaneously, it supported regional authorities across six European coal regions in designing and implementing just transition plans that reflect local realities and priorities.
As the project draws to a close, JUSTEM has clearly demonstrated that a bottom-up, citizen-centred approach is essential for enabling truly just transition processes. Citizens not only want to be involved—they bring valuable insights that can shape policy recommendations and inspire projects rooted in real community needs.
Throughout the project, JUSTEM facilitated one interregional learning workshop and 15 regional workshops across its six focus regions: Stara Zagora, Istria, Western Macedonia, Śląskie Voivodeship, Jiu Valley, and Asturias. These events engaged 682 participants, helping them better understand the just transition process within their local contexts. The workshops also served as vital platforms for gathering citizens’ expectations, concerns, and ideas, and for co-creating proposals for necessary measures and initiatives.
To complement the workshops, the project conducted over 70 in-depth interviews and surveyed over 700 citizens, providing a richer, more nuanced understanding of local perspectives. These findings fed directly into the development of policy recommendations and informed the project pipelines proposed in each region.
To establish a strong foundation for its regional activities, JUSTEM conducted a comprehensive assessment of the coal regions’ socioeconomic and policy contexts, as well as energy poverty levels. This assessment featured an evaluation of the multiple impacts of regional just transition plans, using a structured set of impact categories and indicators.
Based on this analysis, JUSTEM partners developed six tailored energy poverty alleviation plans as well as six regional project pipelines. The energy poverty alleviation plans each respond to the unique challenges of the participating coal regions, and et out policy frameworks, proposed measures, investment needs, expected benefits, implementation guidance, and monitoring strategies. A video of the JUSTEM project summarises the plan development:
Furthermore, the regional project pipelines comprise 35 concrete project proposals aimed at addressing citizens’ needs. A detailed analysis of costs and funding opportunities was also performed, positioning these projects for future financing and implementation.
Drawing from citizen engagement activities, the consortium translated findings into targeted policy advice for each pilot region, producing 10 policy briefs. Project partners collaborated with managing authorities of Just Transition Funds and other key stakeholders to further develop local capacity and encourage the uptake of measures stemming from the pipelines and alleviation plans.
To ensure sustainability and broader impact, JUSTEM developed a strategy for scaling, replication, and exploitation of its approaches and project pipelines. Notably, the project’s methods—including the further development of the APOLLO-Live engagement tool—have already been replicated in Megalopolis Arcadia, Greece, validating the effectiveness of the project’s approach and solutions.
Finally, communication and dissemination played a central role, especially considering one of the project’s goals was raising awareness. JUSTEM implemented audience-specific communication strategies, published monthly communication packages, contributed to external forums, initiated collaboration with other projects, and actively participated in the Just Transition Platform—including its conferences, stakeholder engagement and equal opportunities working groups, and expert database.
What JUSTEM found out
Over the course of the project, JUSTEM strengthened capacity around just transitions in six coal-dependent regions and provided actionable recommendations to regional authorities for adapting transition plans. These recommendations focused on identifying policy measures and projects that can support more equitable and socially inclusive transitions.
A key outcome of the project was a cross-country analysis of national and regional energy transition policy documents, including the Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs). This analysis revealed that citizen participation is often lacking in current planning processes. While most plans emphasise technical aspects and financial mechanisms, they pay insufficient attention to social and demographic dimensions, such as social cohesion, vulnerability, and energy poverty.
To address these gaps, JUSTEM identified strategic levers to mitigate energy poverty and manage transition risks more effectively. These broadly include energy renovations of multi-family residential buildings and single-family houses, renewable energy projects seeking to accelerate deployment, and the empowerment of citizens through energy efficiency education, advice and awareness raising. More specific interventions and actions have been proposed for each region.
The transition projects proposed under JUSTEM were informed directly by citizen input, reflecting their needs, aspirations, and priorities. The project identified a broad array of initiatives, with a strong emphasis on collective action—such as the establishment of energy communities and improvements to public infrastructure and services—including employee training in social care centres and investment in railway infrastructure.
In conclusion, to enable a desirable transition away from coal, it is critical to improve communication, ensure transparency in planning, encourage citizen participation, focus on vulnerable groups, provide locally tailored advice and funding guidance, and support local businesses/ entrepreneurship.
The JUSTEM final report summarises the results on justice in transition and how to empower citizens for a fair green economy.
What impact did the project have?
JUSTEM has delivered tangible impacts on both society and policy. Regional co-creation workshops shifted citizen perceptions of the just transition process, while citizen perspectives directly influenced policy recommendations and project proposals. The project’s bottom-up approach proved effective in ensuring that local values, needs, and concerns were not only heard but also integrated into territorial planning.
Close collaboration with managing authorities and regional stakeholders facilitated the uptake of project outputs, strengthening the implementation of the Territorial Just Transition Plans. Additionally, the interregional learning workshop and JUSTEM’s participation in high-level policy forums, including the Sustainable Energy Days and EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), allowed for broader dissemination of its citizen engagement methods and tailored policy recommendations.
Finally, the tools, approaches, and results developed by JUSTEM will continue to inform the ongoing work on just transition, and notably the activities as part of the Just Transition Platform, including its thematic working groups, further embedding citizen-focused strategies into the heart of Europe’s energy transition efforts.
