The Government of Asturias has defended today in a debate held in the European Committee of the Regions the need for the Just Transition Fund to be extended beyond the horizon foreseen for its deployment and for its application to be focused on regions that have already started the energy transition, as is the case of the Principality.
This position was defended by the Director General for European Affairs, Raquel García, who warned about the fact that some territories are lobbying for the continuity of this fund in order to benefit regions that are not yet affected by the energy transition process. “We must preserve the essence of the fund and not dilute it with transitions that have not yet begun and that should not be called fair, but green,” said the director.
The Director General explained that territories such as Asturias, which have suffered a significant loss of activity – with the mining reconversion, for example – and which today maintain an important electro-intensive industrial sector, will continue to need the aid of the transition fund and should be maintained as priority regions.
On the other hand, García has also called for a simplification of the regulatory framework surrounding the Just Transition Fund so that its application is faster. This is another of the aspects for which Asturias is demanding an extension of the time frame for the application of the fund.
