Public Consultation on the EU Just Transition Fund

The EU Just Transition Fund will support European regions most affected by the transition to climate neutrality by enabling economic development and diversification and helping people adapt to a changing labour market.

Up to €84.5 million has been allocated to Ireland under the EU Just Transition Fund and the Government will also match this funding with Exchequer resources.

The EU Just Transition Fund will support the delivery of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2021 and its objectives in relation to a 'just transition' in the wider Midlands region in response to the ending of peat extraction for power generation. The EU Just Transition Fund may be used to:

• support enterprises to enhance the economic diversification of the wider Midlands
• train, up-skill and reskill workers affected by the exit from peat
• invest in research and innovation and the deployment of technology
• develop systems and infrastructure for clean energy

Investments from the fund need to be long-term, contribute to a transition to a sustainable, climate neutral and circular economy, and should align with the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly Spatial and Economic Strategy and the other relevant Spatial and Economic Strategies.

The European Commission invited Member States to apply to the Structural Reform Support Programme for support in gathering information to help them prepare territorial plans.

Ireland was successful in its application and engaged in this process in the first half of 2021.

The resulting reports were based on extensive engagement with stakeholders across the region and have informed the draft Territorial Just Transition Plan.

We are committed to engaging with communities and stakeholders across the wider Midlands region in a clear, open and transparent manner.

We are currently developing a Territorial Just Transition Plan with the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly that will set out how we will use the fund to invest in the region. This public consultation is designed to assist us in further developing and finalising this plan before it is agreed by the government and submitted, together with the EU JTF programme , to the European Commission for approval in 2022.

Once both documents are approved, the fund will be launched. It will be managed on an ongoing basis by the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly as the Managing Authority appointed by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications.

We are particularly interested in the views of individuals, communities, businesses, and representative bodies in the wider Midlands region of East Galway, North Tipperary, Longford, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, West Kildare and Roscommon.

The draft and final Territorial Just Transition Plan and programme to be submitted to the European Commission will be subject to Government and European Commission approval and compliance with the Just Transition Fund Regulation and Common Provisions Regulation.

We will prepare a report summarising responses received after the consultation has closed and make this available online.

Online Survey

You can complete an online survey to share your views on the transition process and draft Territorial Plan. This survey will be open until midnight 14 February 2022

We are unable to accept survey responses sent by post, but if you would prefer to make a submission directly to the Department, you may do so by emailing EUJTF@decc.gov.ie by the closing date.

If you have any technical issues in relation to completing the survey, please contact info@mco.ie.

You can also email us at EUJTF@decc.gov.ie to request a PDF version of the survey.

Online Workshops

We will hold two online workshops in January 2022 that will allow for more in-depth discussions on your priorities for the EU Just Transition Fund.

Register for the first workshop 18 January 2022 (10am -12pm)

Register for the second workshop 25 January 2022 (6.30pm - 8.30pm)

A third online workshop specifically dedicated to young people aged 16 – 24 living, working or studying in the region is also being organised directly with national youth representative organisations. If you are aged 16 – 24 and would like to attend a workshop but are not linked to a youth organisation, please email info@mco.ie

We will consider all completed surveys, email submissions and discussions from the workshops, and will publish a report summarising the responses received. We do not intend to respond to individual submissions.

Your responses should focus on the questions in the survey which will assist us in updating the Territorial Just Transition Plan.

The draft and final Territorial Just Transition Plan to be submitted to the European Commission will be subject to Government and European Commission approval and compliance with the Just Transition Fund Regulation and Common Provisions Regulation.

Please note that responses to this consultation are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 (FOI), Access to Information on the Environment Regulations 2007-2018 (AIE) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Please note we may publish the contents of submissions received to our consultations on our website. In this case we will redact personal data prior to publication. In responding to this consultation, parties should clearly indicate where their responses contain personal information, commercially sensitive information or confidential information which they would not wish to be released under FOI, AIE or otherwise published.

We would like to draw your attention to our Data Privacy Notice which explains how and when we collect personal data, why we do so and how we treat this information. It also explains your rights in relation to the collection of personal information and how you can exercise those rights.

Public Consultation Report

This report, prepared by M-CO, gives an overview of responses received during the public consultation. It summarises views received from an online survey, written submissions, and three workshops, including a dedicated workshop held with young people aged between 16 and 24 years old. The consultation recorded engagement by over 240 individuals and organisations, with a broad range of groups and individuals participating, from the private and public sectors, social enterprises, and civil society.

This report, and the various submissions received, will inform the development of the Territorial Just Transition Plan, which will be submitted to the Government and European Commission for approval, in conjunction with an associated EU JTF programme, later in 2022. Once both documents are approved, the EU Just Transition Fund will be launched. It will be managed on an ongoing basis by the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) as the Managing Authority, on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications.

Individual Submissions

Industry Submissions

Group / Organisation Submissions