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The Just Transition Fund (JTF) is a fund that the European Union established in 2020 to support member states with the economic and social challenges arising from the transition to a climate-neutral and circular economy. The Netherlands is entitled to €623 million from this fund, to be used in the regions of Groningen-Emmen, IJmond, Groot-Rijnmond, Zeeuws Vlaanderen Vlissingen-Oost, West-Noord-Brabant, and Zuid-Limburg. The Dutch programme was formally approved in 2022 and commenced in 2023.
The mid-term evaluation focused on the following question: "How is the implementation and execution of the JTF programme progressing, what interim results are being achieved, and what lessons can be drawn for the remaining programme period?". The evaluation included a process evaluation of the programme's design and structure, as well as a process evaluation of its implementation and execution. Both evaluations have been delivered to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.
Some conclusions from the research regarding the interim execution of the JTF are:
- All regions are making good progress in allocating JTF budgets for projects, putting the programme on track to have sufficient costs claimed by the end of 2026 to prevent recovery by the European Commission;
- Limitations on support for large companies pose a challenge in some regions;
- Permitting processes are a constraint on the swift spending of projects in various regions, leading to the JTF mainly being used for less structural investments;
- The combined focus in projects on both the economy and the labour market is identified by stakeholders as a strength of the JTF, ensuring a significant contribution of the programme to the regional transition challenges.
[Mid-term evaluation JTF-programme Netherlands: Process evaluation of implementation and execution | Publication | Government of the Netherlands](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/ministerie-van-sociale-zaken-en-werkgelegenheid/documenten/publicaties/2025/01/06/mid-term-evaluatie-jtf-programma-nederland-procesevaluatie-implementatie-en-uitvoering)
