The present study explores the process of Greece’s current decarbonisation transition and its energy policy regarding the country’s two coal-mining areas. Using the Region of Western Macedonia as a case study, we aimed at providing a holistic approach—as until now only few attempts have been made to systematise the ‘Just Transition Plans’ in European Union (EU)—for raising awareness on issues related to water resource management in post-lignite areas and analysing the use of hydropower in Greece. Our research draws on a flexible method approach, serving as a tool to identify gaps in current knowledge and practices, based on two stages—first the analysis of existing literature, reviews, and sources from government’s core strategies, as well as policy and decision-making papers, and then formulating research questions by synthesising relevant data. In Greece, both ‘Just Transition Development Plan of Lignite Areas’ and hydropower production practices overlook water resources management. By summarising our findings and identifying gaps that remain in current approaches, this work indicates future directions by suggesting processes necessary for addressing the complex issue of adoption of sustainable water resources management measures in post-lignite eras in accordance with EU’s water policy.

For many decades, the Region of Western Macedonia has been Greece’s energy hub, contributing significantly to electricity supply and national growth with the exploitation of lignite deposits for power generation. Lignite, though, has been banned from EU energy source policies towards achieving CO2 emissions reduction, with profound implications on the economy of the region. Despite the importance of this energy transition, a combinatorial analysis for the area in the coal phase-out regime is missing. Therefore, a combined analysis is performed here, and more specifically, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis in all the affected sectors, in combination with the examination of the degree of satisfaction with the EU’s energy priorities. The results of the study show that the Region of Western Macedonia has profound strengths and offers many new opportunities during its transition to a new production model. On the other hand, it has high unemployment rates and low rates of competitiveness and innovation. The main threat is the Region’s desertification due to the inability to find sufficient jobs. Considering the Energy Union’s priorities, the Region of Western Macedonia satisfactorily follows the priorities of Europe in its transition to the new production model, with plenty of room for improvement. The analysis performed allows for a just transition strategic planning to minimize social, economic and energy challenges while maximizing sustainable power generation and has implications for all relevant stakeholders, contributing to the implementation of Energy Union governance and climate actions.

This paper is related to Greece’s water policy as it was formulated after the incorporation of Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60. We examined the status and evolution of constitutional provisions for the protection and management of water resources spanning from the first Greek Constitution of 1843 up to the current constitutional text of 1975 as formulated in 2008 with the incorporation of its third revision. In parallel, we investigated the Greek water pricing legal framework in accordance with Article 9 "Recovery of costs for water services" of the WFD. We compared the actual rates of water services as set by Municipal Water Supply Sewerage Companies (DEYAs) operating in 11 cities across Greece. The findings reveal that there are considerable problems and delays in the implementation of WFD. Regarding municipal water pricing policies, we concluded that DEYAs do not follow a unified and structured pricing scheme. Furthermore, several companies do not discriminate between data costs either per service (water supply, sewerage) or per use (water supply, irrigation, etc.). Finally, it is evident that none of them has yet adopted the relevant provisions set by the European directive for full cost recovery and water pricing reflecting financial, environmental and water resources costs.

<p>It has been proved that reaching the objective of complete decarbonization in Greece by the year 2028 is necessary to ensure the stability of the country's power-generating system and Greece's energy security. Since the middle of the 1960s, when lignite reserves were exploited for the purpose of power production, the Region of Western Macedonia, which includes both an industrial and an agricultural sector, has held a unique position within the borders of Greece. However, as a result of a strategy for the transition to a more sustainable energy plan, the majority of plants that were powered by lignite were required to shut down in 2019. A just transition in a post-lignite era requires strategic planning in order to avoid social, economic, and energy issues while simultaneously maximizing the amount of power output that is sustainable. The present study makes use of a SWOT analysis in order to carry out a comprehensive socio-economic analysis for the Region of Western Macedonia. This analysis takes into account all of the primary economic sectors that are present in the region that is being studied, and it discusses the priorities that have been set by the Energy Union in order to achieve its energy goals. Additionally, the study discusses the results of a generalized SWOT analysis that was applied to the specific strategy of the Energy Union, placing special emphasis on the axes requiring further support actions. According to the findings of the study, the Region of Western Macedonia possesses significant advantages and presents a multitude of fresh chances as it makes the transition to a new production model. On the other hand, its unemployment rates are quite high, and its competitiveness and innovation rates are quite poor. The difficulty to locate sufficient employment opportunities is the primary factor contributing to the desertification of the region. When taking into account the aims of the Energy Union, the Region of Western Macedonia follows the priorities of Europe in its transition to the new production model in a satisfactory manner; yet, there is a significant amount of potential for development.</p>