Just Transition Fund (JTF) program.

What is the JTF for?

The Just Transition Fund (JTF) contributes to the transition to a Climate Neutral Europe. The main goal of the JTF is to enable regions that are heavily dependent on income and employment from fossil fuels to enter into an energy transition in a just equal way. A transition that takes into account social, economic and environmental impacts. The total JTF budget for the Netherlands is approximately €630 million. The program runs from 2021 to 2027.

The transition fund supports areas most affected by the transition to climate neutrality and prevents regional differences within the European Union from widening. Making Europe fully climate neutral by 2050 will require transition of emissions-intensive industries, which comes with major socio-economic challenges. The transition fund provides financial support to vulnerable regions for this purpose.

JTF in southern Netherlands

In the Southern Netherlands, Noord-Brabant, Limburg and Zeeuws-Vlaanderen/Vlissingen-Oost have been designated as JTF areas. These areas will each receive approximately €58.5 million in JTF funds. You can read about the region-specific implementation of the JTF on the website. In this video the Southern Netherlands areas tell why the JTF is so important for their region.

South Limburg (Chemelot Campus)

Enabling specific regions and people to cope with the social, economic and environmental impacts of the transition to a climate-neutral Europe

Capturing the socioeconomic impacts of chemistry's energy and resource transition is central to South Limburg's JTF commitment. Fossil chemistry, centered on Chemelot chemical cluster, provides many direct and indirect jobs. However, many fossil jobs will be lost with the transition to a sustainable industry. This also leads to job losses in other sectors. The transition will also result in different types of knowledge and skills being required of chemical workers. Moreover, there is a threat of a mismatch in the labor market: on the one hand, the tightness in the labor market is increasing due to the climate transition, especially for technical and ICT personnel, and on the other hand, job seekers do not have the right skills to find work.

To cushion these transition effects, South Limburg is deploying the JTF to create new, sustainable jobs, with the Chemelot cluster serving as the basis for future-proof, sustainable employment in green chemistry and in adjacent sectors (diversification). The focus here is on circular use of materials (mechanical and chemical recycling, residual waste as raw material), bio-based raw materials and a sustainable energy supply (electrification, hydrogen). In order to create new jobs within these themes, the JTF supports the development and application of knowledge and innovation as well as investments in necessary technologies, systems and infrastructure. The JTF also supports labor market efforts aimed at a resilient and resilient workforce in light of the transition.

The JTF in South Limburg is committed to three tracks:

1. Renewing and strengthening the regional economy: circular innovation and applications
2. Investment in technology, systems and infrastructure: circular foundation
3. An agile and resilient workforce: circular human capital agenda

See this video on why the JTF is important for South Limburg.