site.btaGerman-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce Launches Project on Joint Transition for Coal Mining Regions in Poland and Bulgaria

In 2023, the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce became a partner of the Cooperative transition of Polish and Bulgarian coal regions project. The project will be implemented with the support of key stakeholders in the Polish and Bulgarian coal regions to transition to zero carbon emissions, engaging them in the creation of region-specific employment strategies.

The target groups will be from the coal mining regions in three Bulgarian municipalities, Stara Zagora, Pernik and Kyustendil (including Bobov Dol), where the threat of structural unemployment is greatest and in some places it is already happening.

The planned activities are grouped into three groups: engaging the main stakeholders in the process of creating joint strategies for identifying new jobs and optimizing existing ones; advocacy for these strategies at regional, national and European level; embedding strategies among key target groups through reliable media channels.

The activities will take place within the framework of workshops, expert seminars and study visits in the country and abroad. The final versions of the strategy papers will enable stakeholders to use them as a basis for applying for EU funding.

The project is part of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of the Federal Republic of Germany, which was created as a result of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

The transfer of experience supporting intra-European dialogue is a key moment in the implementation of the project, which will be implemented simultaneously in Bulgaria and Poland for 3 years. GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation) will take over the management of the project on the German side.