Conference in Labin brought together key stakeholders of the just transition
On December 10, 2025, a conference titled “Just Transition in Istria: Challenges, Solutions, Perspectives” was held in Labin, Croatia. It brought together experts, representatives of Croatian national and regional institutions, the private sector, youth, representatives of the academic sphere, and the interested public. In Croatia, two regions are included in the Just Transition Mechanism: Istria and Sisak-Moslavina County. We attended the conference in Istria, where we learned about the implementation of the Territorial Just Transition Plan in the Labin area, as a guest speaker and presented our experiences.
Public policies: financing and the long-term dimension of the transition
In the first panel, titled “Public Policies – Transition and the Future,” the importance of financing just transition and the temporal dimension of the process, which cannot be successfully completed in just a few years, were highlighted. According to the European Commission representative, Ascanius Troiani, just transition is planned as a specific objective within a common “national partnership and regional fund” for the new financial perspective, rather than as a standalone fund. Member states will be able to decide independently which measures and objectives to allocate funds to. The same principles as before will remain at the forefront of just transition: building partnerships, involving regional stakeholders, a multi-level governance approach, and a regional approach.
How Croatia utilizes funds from the Just Transition Mechanism
The second panel, “How we use Just Transition Mechanism funds in Croatia,” shed light on the challenges faced during implementation and presented projects that are underway or planned. Within the framework of co-financing from the Just Transition Fund, the Metris research center and a recycling yard in Pula will be strengthened and equipped, and funds will be allocated for the development of SMEs (approved operations). Calls for proposals to support educational institutions, support institutionsand the development of two new business zones have already been published. Tenders for the establishment of a Center of Excellence within the secondary electrical and mechanical engineering school, the renovation of housing for employees in shortage occupations, and measures to reduce the carbon footprint at the HOLCIM cement plant are still pending.
Projects in Istria: research center, recycling, business zones
Main projects from the other region in restructuring, Sisak-Moslavina, were also presented. There, the focus is on the development of the video game design industry, the renewal of educational programs for professions of the future, business incubators and accelerators, and the establishment of a new skills center. The region is already feeling the positive impacts of investments, as immigration, interest in educational programs, participation in incubators, and demand for new housing have increased.
Implementation challenges in Istria: personnel, documentation, and regional co-governance
The difficulties faced in Istria when implementing the just transition are primarily the low level of readiness of project documentation, a lack of qualified personnel and financial resources (especially in smaller municipalities) for project preparation, and the centrally managed implementation of the fund (lacking regional co-governance).
Istria’s energy future: from Plomin to wind and solar power plants
The third panel, on Istria’s energy future, highlighted key energy projects: wind, solar, and offshore power plants, energy storage, and energy communities. The operating Plomin thermal power plant is expected to stop using coal by 2033. The importance of timely public involvement in locating new energy sites was emphasized.
Professions of the future: digital competencies, entrepreneurship, and youth innovation
Participants discussed professions of the future and youth readiness in the fourth panel. The knowledge and competencies that companies increasingly need are digital skills, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Experiences of the SAŠA region as a contribution to the international discussion
In the final panel, examples of good practices from other regions were presented. Robert Pollock presented three successful examples of just transition implementation: how to successfully engage with the public using the example of the Małopolska region in Poland, how to ensure employee involvement in retraining using the example of the Gorj region in Romania, and how to diversify the economy using the examples of the Zasavje region in Slovenia and Limburg in Belgium.
Janja Burkelc presented the experiences and practices of implementing the just transition in the SAŠA region. Meetings of this kind and experiences from other regions are useful for strengthening partnerships, exchanging practices, and upgrading ideas.
The conference was organized by the public agency AURORA – Regional Coordinator of Istria County for European Programs and Funds, with the support of Istria County and the Municipality of Labin.