The European Union continues its roadmap for coal depletion within its borders and is investing billions of euros in the recycling of the sector. However, the originally planned goals are not always met. According to a report published this Wednesday by the European Court of Auditors (ECA), The 12.5 billion euros the bloc invested in Europe’s seven main coal regions between 2014 and 2020 “had a limited impact”. in Spain where Asturias and the Palencia-León region These are the two areas most historically linked to coal, the agency points out to be the same with the 650 million our country receives, as the European court explained to El Periódico de España of the Prensa Ibérica group:this european funds has had a limited impact on both jobs and the energy transition.“.
The auditors responsible for preparing the report acknowledge that the report has been discontinued. mining activity in the last ten years –With the closure of 12 mines between 2010 and 2021 – but they note that “most of the funds were used to compensate workers”. In other words, much remains to be done in educating employees to reinvent themselves at work and the energy transition challenge.
Therefore Framework Agreement for a Just Transition in Coal Mining It is presented as the key to the economic revitalization of the two coal regions for the period 2019-2027. From the TCE, they note that the European Social Fund (ESF) offers training courses for affected workers in Spain, but did not report the real impact they have had in helping local authorities find a new job.
Specifically, in Palencia and Leon, the European Globalization Cohesion Fund (FEG)”increase the employability of ex-miners“, but they only managed to train 198 former coal miners, 58% of the initial target.
Although the Court of Accounts stated that Asturias and Castilla y León were guilty two coal regions with the highest unemployment rates Something that hasn’t happened since 2009, the European Union acknowledges that the data can be framed within the national-level employment problem that Spain has. Between 2014 and 2020, the number of jobs directly related to mining fell from 1,113 in Castilla y León to 2,400 in Asturias, to zero in both cases.
However, the data supports the commitment announced by Spain. Stop using coal for electricity generation by 2030. For example, in 2010, 10.5 million tons of coal was produced and 16.5 million tons were consumed within our borders, which increased to 26.2 million tons in 2015 according to Eurostat. In 2020, 567,000 tons were produced throughout the country and 5.5 million tons were burned.
19.3 billion more for 2021-2027
The problem, according to the report, is in many cases the reduction in CO2 emissions from burning coal. import of other fossil fuelsIn countries like Poland or Germany, coal is still very important and imports have increased significantly over the last 15 years.
The auditors of the European Court of Auditors are calling for more efficient use of the new Just Transition Fund, which was created just over a year ago, with €19,300 million to reduce socioeconomic impact in coal regions.
Among other things, the production capacity renewable energyBecause EU-funded energy saving investments also have a modest impact or cannot be measured. In 2019, coal burning continued to be the source of 15% of the community bloc’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“The Just Transition Fund, a key component of the European Green Deal, provides important additional resources to coal regions,” said Nikolaos Milionis, a member of the supervisory court. “The European Commission considers that EU money is a clear way out of coalTaking into account the tensions in the energy market after the Russian invasion of Ukraine”.
Source: Informacion
Christina Moncayo is a contributing writer for “Social Bites”. Her focus is on the gaming industry and she provides in-depth coverage of the latest news and trends in the world of gaming.