The final phase-out of lignite-based electricity generation was decided by the federal government in summer 2018. The forthcoming structural change poses great municipal, economic and emotional challenges for the affected regions in Saxony-Anhalt. The state, municipalities and the companies in the region must work together with the local people to master the impending coal phase-out and reinvent their homeland to a certain extent – greenhouse gas neutral, economically dynamic and worth living in.

To cope with this far-reaching structural change, the state of Saxony-Anhalt – not least thanks to the active involvement of the state government – is being provided with a total of around 4.8 billion euros from various programs. How this money is to be used is defined in a structural development program for the state of Saxony-Anhalt. This will be prepared by five major civil dialogues and five specialist forums. The nexus Institute conceives and moderates the events and supports the State Chancellery in designing the participation process.

The abandonment of lignite, which shaped the Central German mining district for many decades, is a source of conflict and can only succeed with the consent of the citizens concerned. It is important that the people in the district are not only taken along but that they actively and creatively contribute their own experiences, ideas and perspectives. The concept of the events aims to address existing fears and anxieties and to enable a common, constructive approach to the challenges ahead. The focus is on dialogue at eye level between citizens and politics.

Minister President Dr. Reiner Haseloff and other representatives of the state government will take part in all five citizen dialogues themselves and will be available to discuss the challenges and opportunities of structural change in the Central German Revier together with the citizens. The events each last a good three hours and offer space for intensive group discussions, idea development and dialogue with politicians. All interested citizens can participate.

The results of the citizen dialogues are then taken up in several specialist workshops on the most important fields of action for structural change and are thus incorporated into the structural development plan, which is to be completed by the end of 2021.

Further information can be found here.

Duration: 09/2020-06/2021
Client: Staatskanzlei des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt
Team: Christiane Dienel (Projektleitung), Nicolas Bach, Christian Kusch, Max Westbrock

Logo: Staatskanzlei des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt