Kolkwitz starts strong cooperation for economic structural change!

Kolkwitz starts strong cooperation for economic structural change!

On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, a significant cooperation agreement was signed in the Kolkwitz town hall. The partners in this collaboration are the municipality of Kolkwitz, EGC development company Cottbus mbH and the CIT Center for Innovation and Technology GmbH. This initiative aims to pool forces in structural change in Lusatia and to strengthen cooperation between business, science, politics and administration. The background is the decided coal phase-out by 2038, which brings both challenges and opportunities for the region, reports Niederlausitz Current.

The focus of the agreement is diverse. The focus is particularly on addressing and supporting investors as well as coordinated marketing activities. Securing skilled workers and developing commercial space are also being pushed forward. Particular attention is paid to projects such as the Lausitz Science Park and the positioning of Lausitz as a “Net Zero Valley”. In addition, events will be organized to better network corporate inquiries. The municipality of Kolkwitz has a number of location advantages, including seven industrial and commercial areas as well as good transport connections.

EU fund for structural change

The structural change in Lusatia is also caused by the Just Transition Fund (JTF) supported by the European Union. For about a year now, companies in Lusatia have been able to apply directly for funding to cushion the negative effects of the coal phase-out. By 2027, the EU will provide around 2.3 billion euros for German lignite mining areas. The fund is aimed primarily at small and medium-sized companies and offers up to 70 percent funding for projects up to a maximum of 300,000 euros.

So far, almost 500 applications have been submitted to the Brandenburger Investitionsbank, which together have a requested grant volume of around 167 million euros. The Cottbus Chamber of Crafts rates the start of the program as consistently positive and emphasizes that applications are submitted and approved quickly and unbureaucratically, which benefits many entrepreneurs like Enrico Frühling.

Challenges and concerns

Despite these positive developments, there are also challenges in structural change. The funding guidelines for the JTF were approved in August 2023. 238 million euros are available for business support in Lusatia. However, given the challenges, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, there are concerns as to whether these funds will be sufficient. The Cottbus Chambers of Industry and Commerce as well as the Chambers of Crafts express criticism of the cooperation with politicians. According to a survey, 76% of companies feel that their management of structural change is inadequate, which is a serious problem.

The Structural Strengthening Act, which came into force in 2020, provides for a total of 10.32 billion euros in structural funding for the Brandenburg region by 2038. This money is intended to help compensate for the loss of industrial jobs. However, the distribution of funds is heavily concentrated on larger municipalities, while smaller municipalities often have difficulty applying. The effective use of these resources remains one of the major challenges in this phase of change.

While the actors in the region continue to strive for a successful transformation, it remains to be seen how future developments will shape themselves as part of the structural change.