On March 10–11, a delegation from the Sheptytskyi community participated in the second interregional meeting of the EUMINDA project, “How to Identify, Mitigate, and Remediate Damage Caused by Mining Companies,” held in the Greek city of Kozani.

Kozani is the historic heart of Greece’s coal industry, which is now undergoing a transformation that our community also faces. By 2028, the country plans to completely phase out coal, transforming the mining region into a major hub for solar energy. The experience of our Greek partners demonstrates how European investments can be used to modernize power grids and ensure that 70% of the energy mix comes from “green” sources as early as 2030.

As part of a packed program, a representative of the Just Transition Agency, project manager Oleksandra Cholovska, along with Deputy Mayor Marta Vashchuk, explored practical examples of just territorial transition. In particular, the delegation visited a closed mine, which now serves as a site for generating electricity for surrounding cities, and a modern waste-to-energy plant that implements the principles of the circular economy, transforming waste into new plastic products.

An important part of the visit was the presentation of our community’s achievements. We presented our “best practices” to our European partners—strengthening the community’s energy resilience, implementing new educational programs, and developing local institutions. Although we began the transformation process relatively recently compared to other partners, we highlighted the Sheptytska community’s strong momentum and successes, which we are demonstrating even under extremely challenging conditions.

“Today, Ukraine is living under martial law, with a significant portion of state and local government resources directed toward supporting our military and defending the country. Despite this, we continue to work on the future of our communities and seek paths to a just transformation,” noted Marta Vashchuk.