As part of the Life After Coal PL project, an implementation-oriented report was prepared to translate the objectives of the “Strategy for Climate Neutrality in Eastern Wielkopolska 2040” into specific instruments and actions that can be implemented at the county and municipal levels.

The study serves as a bridge between the identification of good practices and their implementation in Wielkopolska Wschodnia (WW). It verifies and refines the assumptions of the strategy based on the experience of six European regions (including Stara Zagora, Midlands, Łużyce, Zachodnia Macedonia, Uście nad Łabą, and NRW). It covers both energy-related issues (decarbonisation, renewable energy sources) as well as social and economic aspects.

It was indicated that the WW 2040 strategy is designed in an overly technocratic manner: it focuses on the technical and organisational dimension, while insufficiently taking into account the social conditions that are treated as a priority in the reference regions. It was emphasised that residents should be the driving force of change, rather than merely its recipients.

Therefore, it is recommended that the strategy be complemented with tools for more in-depth participation, a supra-local approach (cooperation within functional areas), and stronger institutional support for final beneficiaries.

The report identifies three operationalised solutions:

• Innovation District – focused on building a local innovation ecosystem and fostering collaboration among stakeholders (the public sector, business, academia, and society), so that the transition strengthens economic development and new regional specialisations.
• Planning Cells – a tool designed to strengthen participation and improve the quality of public decision-making.
• Umbrella Projects – a model in which local government facilitates access to funding and reduces organisational barriers for residents and businesses.

Wśród dodatkowych priorytetowych obszarów działań wskazano: wsparcie lokalnych społeczności i rozwój partycypacji (w tym mentoring oraz wzmacnianie NGO), wzmocnienie sektora MŚP i lokalnej przedsiębiorczości, rozwój zielono-błękitnej infrastruktury (renaturyzacja, bioróżnorodność) oraz rozwój turystyki regeneracyjnej jako elementu przebudowy modelu rozwojowego. Energetyka i monitoring

Among the additional priority areas for action identified were: support for local communities and the development of participation (including mentoring and strengthening NGOs), reinforcement of the SME sector and local entrepreneurship, development of green-blue infrastructure (renaturation, biodiversity), and the development of regenerative tourism as an element of reshaping the development model.

The report provides local governments in Wielkopolska Wschodnia with a coherent package of operational recommendations: from institutional instruments (Innovation District, Planning Cells, Umbrella Projects), through social and economic measures, to technological tools and monitoring indicators. The document’s strongest message is the need to pursue the transition not merely as an energy modernisation process, but as a broader socio-economic transformation.