Western Macedonia

The Region of Western Macedonia (WM), in Northwestern Greece, is associated for more than 70 years with the power generation sector, as the electricity production center of the country, based on the lignite mines and the thermal power stations of Public Power Corporation (PPC). Over the last decade, the region has been facing a strong transitional movement beyond coal, with the gradual closure of mines and power stations, a process that will cause, according to the World Bank’s estimates, about 16,000 losses of direct and indirect jobs. Keeping also in mind that WM is the poorest region of Greece with the highest unemployment rates of the country, it is confronted with several crucial challenges, encompassing economic vulnerability (unemployment, lack of investments and innovation, low connection between research and industry, isolation), social inequalities (high unemployment rates, important outmigration, low social cohesion), and environmental threats (environmental degradation due to decades of mining excavations affecting the soil health, the water aquifers, causing major land use changes and air pollution). In addition to these challenges, the region’s economy is still largely driven by agriculture, with significant activity in livestock farming, viticulture, and arable farming.

A region in need of a systemic bioeconomy approach

All the above highlight the crucial need for a systemic bioeconomy engagement to unfold hidden potential of the WM region, to promote sustainable and circular bioeconomy solutions in sustainable agricultural practices, bio-based industries, and circular economy solutions for long-term environmental and socioeconomic resilience. Towards this direction, various initiatives are already taking place with the most important one, in terms of funding support, being the Just Transition Platform (JTP), providing an access point to support Europe’s transition to a sustainable, climate-neutral economy, through the three pillars of the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM). In line with JTP and JTM, the Just Transition Development Plan for WM has been published in 2020, which, however, does not have any direct reference to the bioeconomy potentials of the region. Apart from that, the Cluster of Bioeconomy and Environment (CLuBE), established in 2014, provides a unique platform for the cooperation and the development of synergies among the public sector (e.g., Municipalities and AN.KO., the Regional development company), the research hubs (e.g., the University of Western Macedonia-UOWM) and entrepreneurship, focusing on bioenergy and the environment, aiming at introducing and developing innovation and increasing added value.