Just transition for Vulnerable communities, Spain, Valencia, 4 March 2026
- Tessy Melidi
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
On 4 March 2026, the headquarters of the Mancomunitat de la Ribera Baixa hosted the second working meeting of the European project “Fair Cities”. The project promotes cooperation between territories to move towards fairer, more sustainable, and more inclusive cities.
Rafael Gisbert Aragó, president of the Mancomunitat de la Ribera Baixa, welcomed the European partners of the project and highlighted the "importance of cooperation between territories in order to promote more active, fair, and sustainable cities, where the ecological transition progresses alongside social cohesion and citizen participation". In his remarks, he recalled that "Europe is built from the local level—from cities and from people—and that projects such as this one help move forward toward more active, cohesive, and equitable communities".
Next, the mayor of Sueca, Julián Sáez Vercher, emphasized "the importance of cooperation between public administrations and citizens in addressing the challenges of climate change through effective policies, social participation, and a fair ecological transition that guarantees the well-being of the entire society".
The Department of Aude outlined how the Aude department integrates social action with environmental protection by providing personalized support and transitional green jobs to vulnerable individuals through reuse and recycling initiatives. "By repairing and recycling old items, we create supportive green jobs that help vulnerable people rebuild their careers".
The Municipality of Velenje showcased Velenje's strategy for a socially responsible transition away from coal, highlighting extensive municipal social support systems and reskilling programs designed to protect affected workers and families. "Velenje demonstrates that moving away from heavy industry can be done fairly, without leaving vulnerable communities behind"
The Province of Lucca emphasized the shift from emergency management to non-structural prevention, arguing that building proactive, informed communities is essential to handling the increasing frequency of climate disasters. "An informed community is a safer community".
RegioDev highlighted practical examples of Belgium's fair green economy, such as using citizens' assemblies, redirecting office heat to social housing, and returning carbon tax revenues directly to low-income families. "Citizens tell government exactly what fair transition looks like".
TOOSZ argued that building community trust and strengthening local government institutional capacity are mandatory prerequisites for successfully implementing climate policies like residential retrofitting. "You cannot retrofit houses if you cannot reach people".
UNCJR used the PEXCO project in Galați as a case study to demonstrate how cohesion policy funds can be used to rehabilitate degraded social housing and combat energy poverty in post-industrial regions. "Just Transition is not only about closing mines or changing industries. It is about rebuilding communities with dignity, reducing energy poverty, and giving vulnerable citizens a real future" .
Mancomunitat de la Ribera Baixa presented Green EU project and RENACE project. Together, these initiatives demonstrate that building European climate resilience requires a dual approach: empowering citizens to adopt sustainable, everyday circular economy habits while ensuring that the local green transition is fair, inclusive, and protects vulnerable communities. "Every daily action counts... in the fight against Climate Change, [but] climate action must reduce inequalities — not deepen them".
The meeting concluded with a very positive assessment from the participants, who agreed on the usefulness of these meeting spaces to continue advancing towards fairer, more sustainable cities that are better prepared for future challenges.
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