Commissioner Ferreira in Germany to discuss Just Transition Fund and regional green transition challenges

Today and tomorrow, 23 and 24 January, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, will be in Berlin and Cottbus, Germany. Upon arrival in Berlin, Commissioner Ferreira will meet with State Secretary for Fiscal and Economic Policy, Wolfgang Schmidt, followed by a meeting with Peter Altmaier, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy. In the evening, the Commissioner will meet with Jörg Steinback, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy of Land Brandenburg, as well as with Christiane Hipp, President of the Cottbus BTUniversity. These bilateral meetings will be an opportunity for Commissioner Ferreira to discuss the Commission’s proposal for a Just Transition Fund and Cohesion Policy more broadly. On Friday, the Commissioner will visit the Innovation Centre of Cottbus, where she will get a guided tour of the model factory and a presentation of projects related to augmented and virtual reality, robotics, cloud and more. Cottbus being a region highly dependent on the use of lignite for its energy production, the Commissioner will conclude her mission by visiting one of the biggest lignite power stations, “Schwarze Pumpe”. In addition to exploring the grounds, it will be an opportunity for her to discuss the challenges of the transition towards a green, climate-neutral economy with several mayors of cities in the region.