New plan for Longford workers who lost their jobs - MEP Ciarán Mullooly

The European Parliament has given its overwhelming backing to Midlands–North-West MEP Ciaran Mullooly’s report on the €20 billion Just Transition Fund (JTF), making it the official position of Parliament on how the EU must deliver a fair and effective transition.

The vote passed in Strasbourg last Wednesday by 519 to 99, with 84% support across the chamber -a resounding endorsement of Mullooly’s reforms.

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His adopted proposals are described as game changers for Ireland’s JTF region, where the sudden closure of Bord na Móna and ESB stations left workers and families behind. Mullooly is now urging the European Commission to act immediately on the reforms adopted by Parliament, insisting it must also take a central role in guiding and overseeing the Just Transition - not simply hand over funds to Member States.”

Mullooly’s Parliament-backed reforms include: Immediate pre-financing for communities instead of risky loans; major investment in apprenticeships and training in Offaly, Longford, and Roscommon; special economic zones to attract new jobs and investment; Dedicated local grant managers to guide communities through applications; faster planning approvals for regeneration projects; tailored social protection for older workers over 50; unlocking state-owned land for new industries; targeted tax incentives for investment in hardest-hit regions; Focused campaigns to replace jobs lost in Shannonbridge and Lanesborough; a renewed community engagement drive to put local people at the heart of change.

Mullooly said these measures were essential to ensure that “everything that went wrong in Ireland cannot happen again.”
He welcomed the European Commission’s update that “46% of the Just Transition Fund is now contracted and €12 billion has already gone out to projects”, but warned that red tape is still blocking the fund from reaching those who need it most.

Drawing on the Midlands experience, Mullooly spoke about the chaos created by sudden closures without renewables in place:
“In my region, they closed the peat-burning power station down. But they were not ready to transition to renewables. So in the car park of this power station today (Shannonbridge) , they intend to burn diesel oil in a peaker plant. This is crazy. It is nuts.”

He also condemned plans to dismantle stations without any alternative projects lined up:

“They now propose to take down power stations in my community (Lanesborough) and yet have no major renewable project with any significant replacement employment lined up. Instead, they say they will spend between €10 and €15 million taking away these power stations. And the workers who have lost their jobs read reports in the newspapers and in social media that companies in India and elsewhere will buy some of the materials and the equipment from the old power stations and bring them to build fossil fuels plants in India. This type of report drives the people in the community absolutely berserk. They say: where is the sense in this? Where is the organisation?”

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Mullooly underlined that the EU cannot simply hand the fund to Member States and walk away:

“A Just Transition cannot be left to Member States. We cannot just say, here’s the fund, do what you wish with it. I’ve seen first-hand what they do with it, Commissioner. It’s not pretty. That is why we need the Commission to be centrally involved as we go forward. We need the Commission to take control of the Just Transition Fund and ensure it works for the people who lost their jobs.”