European strategic policy directions toward a sustainable blue economy have strengthened interest in maritime investments, thus increasing sectoral competition for marine space. Emerging repercussions out of such a rising interest need to be handled by marine spatial planning (MSP) as a means of properly allocating marine space to diverse uses; managing conflicts and promoting synergies among them; and pursuing a multi-use perspective of this space. A critical stage of each MSP exercise is the exploration of land- and marine-based policy directions and their current or potential repercussions in the marine environment. Such an exploration is carried out in this work by means of a qualitative policy review for informing the MSP process in the Northern Aegean Sea, Greece. By delving into diverse policy frameworks at various spatial levels—i.e., local (urban), regional, and national/European—constraints, but also perspectives in policy choices/maritime uses in the MSP context, are identified, thus guiding more informed MSP choices in the specific study region while attaining a successful integration or coordination between land and marine developments.

Over the last decade, the EU has entered a phase of transition to a low-carbon economy, which has led to a decline in the competitiveness of coal. Despite efforts to restructure their energy sectors, coal regions continue to struggle with the lingering effects of the 2008/09 Global Crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, which affect their economies and decarbonisation trajectories. In this context, the paper examines the role of youth in the local labour regimes (LLRs) of Eurozone coal regions. Drawing on perspectives of Geographical Political Economy and Political Ecology, the transition from coal to renewable energy is conceptualised as a new socio-ecological fix, reflecting capitalist mechanisms seeking novel avenues for profiting while maintaining established power asymmetries and inequalities. The study employs a mixed methods approach to examine the exacerbated structural challenges faced by youth. Firstly, by analysing secondary macroeconomic, (youth) employment and demographic data, key differences between the LLRs of the coal regions of six Eurozone countries are highlighted. Secondly, a qualitative analysis of Western Macedonia in Greece, one of the most lagging coal regions, is carried out. The analysis is based on primary data collected in focus groups and interviews with key informants, energy workers and locals in the period 2021-2022. Findings suggest that uneven development, labour flexibilisation, and lack of economic diversification hinder the entry of young people into the labour market and contribute to their out-migration from coal regions, thus the latters' role in shaping the changing energy landscape remains marginal.

Twin green and digital transitions (TTs) are framed as mutually reinforcing pathways toward climate neutrality and economic modernisation. However, local realities in peripheral, coal regions in Southeastern Europe (SEE) indicate a more complex and contested picture. The paper traces how TTs are shaped, perceived, negotiated, and implemented in two historically lignite-dependent areas, Stara Zagora (Southeast Region, Bulgaria) and Kozani (Western Macedonia, Greece), through qualitative comparative research drawing on 24 semi-structured interviews with energy workers, institutional stakeholders, local government representatives, and industry actors, conducted between June and October 2025, triangulated with statistical, institutional, and policy documentation. The conceptualisation integrates labour regimes, Varieties of Capitalism, and Europeanisation, while the analysis examines divergent local pathways produced by common European policy architecture. The findings indicate that TTs are not experienced nor understood as unified synergistic agendas but as asymmetric and differentiated processes, with green transition dominating the discourse while digital transition remains detached from the materialised understandings of transition. Governance is perceived as centralised and distant, labour market interventions such as retraining programmes serve as fund absorption mechanisms, while renewable energy projects generate neither quality employment nor community ownership. Instead of transformative processes, TTs in both cases function as a renewed modality of deindustrialisation. The paper moves from empirical findings of local transition realities to normative arguments about the democratic governance conditions that just transition requires.

Στο άρθρο προσεγγίζονται κριτικά οι διαδικασίες ενεργειακής μετάβασης υπό το αναλυτικό πρίσμα των «κοινωνικο-οικολογικών παγιώσεων/διευθετήσεων», ενώ συζητιούνται οι εγγενείς αντιφάσεις τους και η αναγκαιότητα εμπλοκής του κόσμου της εργασίας στα υπό διαμόρφωση ενεργειακά τοπία. Με επιρροές από τη Γεωγραφική Πολιτική Οικονομία και αξιοποιώντας παραδείγματα τριών κεντρικών περιφερειών της ΕΕ, μελετάται το σκεπτικό πίσω από τις πολιτικές απανθρακοποίησης και οι επιπτώσεις στην εργασία. Ακολούθως, προσεγγίζεται κριτικά η επιχειρούμενη μετάβαση στη Δυτική Μακεδονία, ενώ επισημαίνεται ο κίνδυνος απώλειας χιλιάδων θέσεων εργασίας και αύξησης της εργασιακής επισφάλειας. Βασικό εύρημα είναι το ότι επιχειρείται μία νέα «κοινωνικο-οικολογική διευθέτηση», που στερείται βασικών προϋποθέσεων μιας «δίκαιης μετάβασης».

European strategic policy directions towards a sustainable blue economy have strengthened interest in maritime investments, thus increasing sectoral competition for marine space. Emerging repercussions out of such a rising interest need to be handled by Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as a means for: properly allocating marine space to diverse uses; managing conflicts and promoting synergies among them; and pursuing a multi-use perspective of this space. A critical stage of each MSP exercise is the exploration of land-based spatial/developmental directions and their current or potential repercussions in the marine environment in order for constraints but also perspectives in policy choices/maritime uses in the MSP context to be featured; and attainment of a successful coherence or coordination between land and marine spatial/developmental policies to be ensured, by analyzing Land-Sea-Interaction (LSI) and embedding it in the MSP. The latter is the focus of this paper aiming to illuminate critical issues emerging from land-based (terrestrial) policy frameworks for feeding MSP endeavors; and is accomplished in the Northern Aegean Sea, Greece. Towards this end, a multilevel approach is adopted, delving into diverse policy contexts at the local, regional and national/European level and aiming to attain more informed MSP decisions in the specific study region.