On 25 October 2018, a Polish-Norwegian seminar on sustainable and just economic transformation took place in Krakow. The seminar was implemented under the Bilateral Cooperation Fund of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021. The seminar was organised as a back-up event to the pre-COP working meeting, during which negotiations were taking place to prepare the agreement for the 24th COP Climate Conference in Katowice.

The aim of the seminar was to exchange experiences between Poland and Norway in the field of fair and solidarity-based economic transformation, which on the one hand will enable climate protection measures, on the other hand will enable high economic growth and prepare the labour market for necessary structural and social changes.

The seminar was attended by Sławomir Mazurek, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Environment and Astrid Knutsen Hårstad, Deputy Minister of Climate and Energy of Norway.

In her speech, the Norwegian Minister said that all measures to combat climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy must take into account the social costs and the need to create new jobs. - "Man is at the centre of change and his social and economic needs must be taken into account" – said the Minister.

Minister Mazurek stressed Poland’s commitment to the fight against smog, the promotion of the circular economy and the role of the Polish Presidency of the 24th Climate Conference.

During the discussions organised within the framework of the Polish-Norwegian seminar, the position of Polish and Norwegian trade unions was presented, which stressed the need to ensure social security and decent work for professions particularly affected by the changes on the labour market related to the transition to a low-carbon economy. Polish and Norwegian experiences in electromobility, the creation of green urban infrastructure, the promotion of energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy sources and the application of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies were also presented. Some of these initiatives have been implemented with support from Norwegian and EEA funds.

The panel discussion, concluding the seminar, presented a spectrum of possible actions that should be taken to ensure a smooth economic transition to a low-carbon model, taking into account the socio-economic situation and characteristics of each country.