The transformation of the Slovak and Czech automotive industries: stakeholders' perspectives and barriers towards an ecological mobility industry

On postcapitalist repair

“…A recent collaboration I have undertaken, looking at just transitions in the central European automotive industry and regional transformations in north Bohemia, tells us that not enough credibility or imagination is given to the role communities can play in forging viable alternatives (such as the replacement of inefficient individualised mobility with quality public transport) that build on hard-earned skills but do not cost the earth (Gažo et al, 2022). Instead of harnessing this possibility, things appear to proceed in the manner Carr warns about – the narrative of transition being pushed overlooks indigenous skills and interests, instead focusing on subsidising and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Just Transition funding is funnelled to the very mining corporations who have benefited from extractivism, and ‘green capitalism’ takes pride of place in the form of lithium extraction and battery production.…”

Beyond a Czech-The-Box Exercise: Proposals for Meaningful Stakeholder Participation in the Just Transition

“…The Czech Republic serves as a vivid example of such a country, combining remarkable socio-economic dependence on coal extraction and car manufacturing (Gažo et al 2022;Sivek et al 2020), often concentrated in long-term structurally disadvantaged regions (Frantál et al 2022), with weaker trust in public institutions and policies (Horáková 2020). Just transition in this context is thus urgent (European Commission 2023), sometimes hotly debated (Galgoczi 2019), yet not successfully implemented.…”