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Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - With a digital ceremony, the North Rhine-Westphalian state government demonstratively ushered in the structural change in the Rhenish lignite mining district on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) said the area was facing a challenge of the century with the phase-out of lignite.
This is also a chance of the century.
Lignite generation in the region should end by 2038 at the latest.
The federal government is making almost 15 billion euros available to promote change.
The Rhenish district lies between Aachen, Mönchengladbach, Düsseldorf and Cologne.
Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) emphasized that new jobs should be created before old ones disappear.
A third of the 9,000 jobs directly affected in the lignite industry will disappear in the next few years.
The goals of change in the region are set out in a territorial contract, which the representatives of the region also sign.
The process is intended to promote growth, value creation and employment in line with sustainable development.
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Link to the live broadcast
Project call for the Rheinisches Revier