My work on hashtag#energytransition took me yesterday to the heartland of coal mining in Romania. The last piece of coal was extracted almost ten years ago from Petrila Mine. Since then, the invaluable hashtag#industrial hashtag#heritage of the region was preserved and safeguarded mostly through private efforts. Visiting the Museum of Mine Rescuers, which keeps alive the memory of miners who often sacrificed their lives for the prosperity of our economy, was heartbreaking.

Hunedoara region, where Petrila is located, has been suffering from chronic underdevelopment, ageing and failed investment projects. No wonder the people of Jiu Valley feel disappointed, because their accomplishments and solid redevelopment plans to date have been solely their own efforts, with some European support and very little genuine help from the central government.

The Operational Programme hashtag#JustTransition, which can bring half a billion EUR to regional economic diversification, new jobs creation, energy communities and brownfield redevelopment, has been approved two years ago. For political and administrative reasons that often defy common sense, almost no EUR from this huge pile of money has flown to the region. Electoral year or not, this needs to change urgently.