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Assessment for France (Bouches du Rhone)

Status: Final Plan
Date of plan: 17.11.2022
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Overall Plan Rating

There are also some indicators rated as not consistent with the just transition. These are marked as red on the traffic light system and should be the foremost priorities to address and improve on. The indicators are organised under their corresponding principles in the Annex to this report.

Principle 1

The TJTP should be sustainable and deliver on long-term, international and EU climate commitments such as the Paris Agreement and EU 2030 and 2050 climate objectives.
Indicates a commitment to reduce GHG emissions but by < 55% emissions reduction versus 1990 levels by 2030 OR it does not indicate a need to reduce emissions at all
Identifies the opportunities to increase renewable energy in the region and specific actions, projects or targets are proposed
Comments: It identifies the attributes (notably solar and marine) meaking it a good place to invest in renewable energy. The regional development plan (SRADDET) aims to increase renewable energy from 6% of the region's energy mix to 32% by 2030; cretaing 1000 jobs per yearfrom 2012-2050. I recognises the demand for employment will increase by 10% from now until 2030.
It does, however, mention hydro power as the second potential renewable energy source - which should be qualified for sustainability reasons.
Identifies the opportunities to increase energy efficiency or reduce energy use in the region and specific actions, projects or targets are proposed
Comments: Mainly focused on industrial processes and buildings however.

Principle 2

The TJTP should not lead to prolonged fossil fuel use or promote false solutions to the transition to climate neutrality. As a guide, coal should be phased out by 2030.
A complete phase-out of coal is planned or implied in the territory by 2030
A phase out of fossil gas infrastructure phase-out is planned or implied, but the date is after 2035 or is undefined
Comments: It is not clear that fossil gas is used in the region and the focus is on a move to renewable energy and the ending of the use of fossil fuels is mentioned in section 1.1 and secion 2.2.
Renewable hydrogen is mentioned, but in the context of industrial decarbonisation.

It notes the region is a member of the Hydrogen smart specialisation strategy and is active in the Hydorgen Europe assoication. Comapred to other TJTPs, hydrogen does not appear a central or main focus of decarbonisation efforts, but one of many.
Not enough information available or fossil fuel subsidies not discussed

Principle 3

The TJTP should lead to sustainable economic diversification at the local, regional and national level.
Promotes economic diversification, and explicitly recognises (e.g. in the assessment of the transition challenges) that all sectors of the economy must become sustainable
Comments: Target sectors are in the circular economy and renewable energy, hwoever this should be further elaborated in project secletion criteria.
Recognises the value of SMEs and start-ups for economic diversification, but does not set out clearly how it will provide support to develop and incentivise them
Includes programme specific indicators (section 2.5) to measure support to, or success in supporting, SMEs and start-ups.
Indicates a link to and a need for consistency with the NECP, but does not clearly link investments for sustainable economic diversification and decent job creation to it

Principle 4

The TJTP should address social inequalities, improve interregional solidarity, decrease inequalities and tackle injustices.
Justifies why certain regions should receive support with reference to the underlying economic and employment impacts of the transition, and justifies the choice objective criteria or comparative data
Prioritises employment support and job search assistance for workers directly losing their jobs as a result of the transition AND other worker groups, including those who may be indirectly affected
Comments: It identifies multiple groups needing targeted support: currently unemployed, people in declining or transforming sectors, women (for emerging sectors). But it doesn't focus much on future generations or other groups who may be indirectly impacted by the transition.
Identifies the existing and future skills, training and education gaps for all workers and sectors, including future generations, at regional level on the basis of objective and quality skills forecasts or clearly sets out a process to identify them
Foresees targeted investments sufficient to remedy these gaps and create decent, sustainable and resilient jobs for all current (and future) workers in the region
Comments: It focuses on unemployed, employed, SMEs and those long-unemployed.
Does not consider the quality of new jobs or include measures to address the issue
Recognises some inequalities and identifies some measures to address those arising from the transition, such as a minimum income support, energy poverty reduction or early pensions. But the TJTP does not consider existing inequalities or address all inequalities identified with planned measures
Does not consider the impact of the transition on quality of life or makes only passive mention to some issues, such as air quality improvements
makes reference to the importance of supporting gender equality but does not propose any dedicated activities or priorities to achieve this
Comments: It notes that this will be 'transversal'. the plan only seems to recognise the potential to include more women in new sectors (towards parity in participation), rather than in transforming ones

Principle 5

The TJTP should not harm EU environmental and climate objectives and values.
Does not include activities which would negatively impact environmental and biodiversity indicators relating to:
- Biodiversity
- Air pollution
- Accessible greenspace (land take)
- Water quality

AND neither does it include significantly harmful activities as defined by the EU Taxonomy or which would lead to unsustainable use of natural resources or which would lead to ecosystem harm
Foresees investments in infrastructure which could indirectly lead to greater greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel-based activities, such as motorways (if alternatives such as railway investment have not been explored) and internal combustion engine manufacturing facilities
Comments: The promotion of 'alternative fuels' for local transport and the relevant infrastructure could have the unintended consequence of locking households into fossil fuel use for private transport by diverting support away from more sustainable forms of transport and continuing the promotion of current transport modes (technological transition, rather than systemic transformation).
Identifies actions or possible activities to improve some biodiversity and environmental indicators. These activities and actions cover at least one of the following categories:
- Biodiversity
- Air pollution
- Accessible greenspace (land take)
- Water quality
Comments: Air pollution is likley to be tackled by the reduction in the use of fossil fuels, although this is not well-recognised or targted by the plan.
Foresees no new investment in waste incineration or landfill capacity.
AND
Includes or prioritises new activities which would favour a circular, rather than a linear economy and which will not increase greenhouse gas emissions.

Principle 6

The TJTP should respect the polluter pays principle.
The TJTP does not identify the entities responsible for existing environmental damage.

AND/OR the TJTP recommends to use JTF resources to pay for land restoration without an analysis - or commitment to an analysis - of the possibility and applicability of the Polluter Pays Principle
Comments: No enviornmental damage is recognised.

Principle 7

The TJTP should be supported by adequate, coordinated and long-term public and private funding sources.
EU funds and national public funds are identified to support the just transition: other sources of public funding than the Just Transition Fund and the Pillar III of the Just Transition Mechanism are identified, including national sources. Funding sources are targeted to the most appropriate activities or to address funding gaps
Private funding sources are identified alongside public funding sources, with an indication of how private funds may be leveraged, mainly or exclusively relying on Pillar II of the Just Transition Mechanism

Principle 8

The TJTP should be designed, monitored and evaluated through meaningful partnerships which engage all stakeholders in an open, inclusive and ongoing process, especially at local level. Social dialogue and collective bargaining should be central pillars of the transition when it comes to the labour market and enterprises.
A coordination body is established but membership of the coordination body requirements and composition may be unclear.

AND / OR

Details on procedures are vague without transparency on timing and schedules for such meetings, or on how, when or where information on process and relevant documents will be published in an accessible place. Alternatively the majority of information must be directly requested from the institution responsible rather than openly available.
Comments: A biweekly committee was set up from May 2020 to January 2021 to elaborate the strategy. Bilateral consultations were held with businesses, associations and 'other partners', as well as a webinar on the JTM and for the pre-identification of projects in July 2020 in which 45 stakeholders took part, identifying 100 projects. A further public consultation took place on 27th November 2020 to present the first TJTP draft and to receive proposals, with more than 70 participants. Although they raised the issue of sustainable transport, this was not included in the JTF - as it is not a recognised goal. Further exchanges on indicators were held in 2021. The TJTP also notes other fora where the JTF is discussed in existing grouping of civil society etc.

The Coodination bodies are not separate to those of the other cohesion funds.
Clearly and comprehensively identifies stakeholders, including key groups as identified in the European Code of Conduct on Partnership, but includes no indication of or justification for their roles and status in the process
Comments: Detail on members of the coordination bodies is limited and their roles are not clear.
Limited detail on how stakeholder views and consultation inputs were integrated into the final plan, or how they will be (beyond a commitment to a consultation, for example).  Detail on stakeholder engagement plans for the preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the TJTP is also limited.
Public consultation and engagement of all stakeholders while all options are open is provided for, but the period of consultation and engagement is launched with less than 4 weeks prior notice

AND/OR

The period for consultation and engagement lasts for less than 12 weeks

AND/OR

There is less than 4 weeks to comment on the final draft

AND/OR

Not all relevant stakeholders have been given the opportunity to participate in a public consultation.
Comments: TJTP consultations appear to have taken place as single events and bilateral conversations.
Social dialogue is not a part of the planning process, or is mentioned only passively. Labour unions and social partners have not been engaged in social dialogue during the development of the TJTP.

Principle 9

The TJTP should take a place-based, local approach to strategy design and implementation.
Identifies NUTS 3 regions which will require targeted action and prioritises measures for the specific NUTS 3 regions concerned
Does not mention or take into account the need to engage and inform the local community about the TJTPs

Principle 10

The TJTP should be developed based on high quality, independent and objective analysis of the challenges and opportunities of the transition for regions.
The indicators and/or data included in the TJTP are high quality, focused at the regional level and are appropriate to the goals of the fund to address the socioeconomic challenges arising from the transition to climate neutrality, but do not cover all aspects of the just transition, focusing for example on the energy transition only
Comments: Covered in the operational programme - focus mainly on employment, invetsment and energy/emissions reduction. One indicator on waste re-use.
The TJTP does not foresee a revision process even to remedy poor performances or ensure consistency with a revised NECP

Comments

Plan is available here: https://europe.maregionsud.fr/actualites/toutes-les-actualites/details/actualites/leurope-renouvelle-sa-confiance-a-la-region-sud/