16/02/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 15 February, the European Commission launched the secretariat of a new initiative to assist the coal regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine in making the transition from coal to a “carbon-neutral economy”, while ensuring that this transition is “fair”. Focussing on 17 coal regions in particular, the initiative aims to “create an open platform allowing for region-wide, multi-stakeholder dialogue and providing a space for sharing experiences, knowledge and best practices on transition-related issues amongst coal regions in the Western Balkans and Ukraine”, the Commission said in a statement. The aim will also be to generate links between the EU’s coal regions and their counterparts in the Western Balkans and Ukraine through twinning arrangements. (DG)