Just Transition Forum puts dialogue and funding at heart of decarbonization planning
An effective energy transition in the Energy Community region will rest on a clear vision with plans for reaching it, financing to turn those plans into action, and a seat at the table for all stakeholders. This was the central message of the Just Transition Forum, held in Podgorica on 20 October. The Forum was organised by the Energy Community Secretariat and implemented in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, within the framework of the Regional Climate Partnership between Germany and the Western Balkans. It brought together over 100 participants, including government officials, local communities, trade unions, young people and financing institutions from across South East and Eastern Europe.
"A transition decided without the people who live through it will not be sustainable and may be reversed," said Artur Lorkowski, Director of the Energy Community Secretariat. "This means that is also time to dig deeply into all the financing pockets, including domestic revenue generation. A Just transition will not be powered by ad hoc financing. It requires predictable and stable finance flows. Without this, it will remain a transition on paper alone"
Dubravka Bošnjak, Project Leader from GIZ stated, "Germany is stepping up its support for a just transition in the Western Balkans through a dedicated project that puts people and communities at the heart of change. Young people, workers and vulnerable groups must have a meaningful role in shaping these plans from the outset, so that decisions reflect their needs and give them a real stake in their communities’ future."
National Energy and Climate Plans offer an actionable investment framework for a socially fair transition. They set out each country's 2030 targets and act as a blueprint for governments, investors and development banks looking to fund the shift to cleaner economies. The Just Transition Forum is held at a moment when the Secretariat's first assessment of these plans shows how much of that potential remains untapped and invisible in the current NECPs. In the next generation of plans, due in draft by 1 January 2028, a deeper analysis of the impacts on communities, region, energy poverty and gender equality would help target support where it is needed most.
Held annually, the Forum has become a platform for a wider regional dialogue about who shapes the energy transition and how. It connects a growing range of linked initiatives across the region. These include the Just Transition Talks, an online webinar series that connects NGOs, government bodies, utilities, entrepreneurs, financing institutions, and journalists, building a regional community around just transition and bringing the experience of affected communities directly into policy debates. The results of such initiatives are often brought to the stage at the Forum.
In Podgorica, young representatives from across the Western Balkans presented recommendations developed under the Regional Climate Partnership, calling for a meaningful role for young people in transition planning. The winners of the Just Transition Young Voices Awards also presented their visions for a just transition. And the photo exhibition, Women Powering Energy, showcased the winning entries of the first Women in Energy Photo Contest, in which women from across the region photographed themselves at work to make their roles in the sector more visible.
