What Drives Successful Just Transition? Lessons from the Czech Republic and Croatia

Olena Yanchyshyn, Project Manager at the Association of Coal Communities of Ukraine, participated in the JTPeers Exchange study visit organised by the European Commission under the Just Transition Platform. The programme brought together representatives from the Czech Republic, Croatia, and Ukraine to exchange experience in developing regional innovation ecosystems and advancing just transition policies.

During the visit, participants explored the work of the Innovation Centre of the Ústí Region (ICUK), DigiLab at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, and the Czech Technical University in Prague. The programme focused on fostering innovation, supporting start-ups and youth entrepreneurship, strengthening business incubators, building international partnerships, and preparing regions for the European Union’s next Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034.

One of the key takeaways from the study visit was that successful just transition does not begin with building new infrastructure—it begins with building a strong ecosystem for collaboration. Effective cooperation between public authorities, businesses, academia, and educational institutions, combined with investment in human capital, innovation, and long-term strategic planning, forms the foundation for sustainable regional development.

The European experience also demonstrates the value of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3), which help regions identify their competitive advantages and focus resources on sectors with the greatest development potential. This approach is supported by investment in start-ups, business incubators, clusters, youth entrepreneurship, as well as active participation in European partnerships and EU programmes.

For the Association of Coal Communities of Ukraine, these insights have clear practical relevance. They reinforce the importance of an integrated approach to community development that combines strategic planning, support for local initiatives and entrepreneurship, international cooperation, and the integration of Ukrainian communities into European innovation networks.

These approaches create the conditions for communities not only to navigate the just transition successfully, but also to emerge stronger, more competitive, and better positioned to attract future investment.