Zagorje ob Savi, 20th of june 2024 – The Just Transition Center of Zasavje region (RRA Zasavje), in collaboration with Circular Change – Institute for Circular Economy, conducted the third workshop within the Zasavje Circular Economy Academy, which took place under the title “Focus on the ‘EU Candidate’.” The event took place on Thursday, the 20th of June 2024, at Kolodvorska cesta 2 in Zagorje ob Savi. The workshop was led by Mag. Ladeja Godina Košir, the founder and director of Circular Change, and Meta Pezdir, project manager and co-author of the National Strategy for Coal Phase-Out and Restructuring of Coal Regions in line with the principles of a just transition. The main focus of the workshop was on the use of the System Change Compass tool, developed by the organizations Sistemiq and The Club of Rome. With the help of the tool, we defined the elements that serve as the glue for Zasavje in positioning the region for a just and circular transition through a systemic approach. We also included the vision of the company Dewesoft with the “Mesto akrobatov” (City of Acrobats), which is an integral part of the region’s development. This was followed by group work, where we further developed the projects created in previous workshops. The goal this time was to design and deliver a short project pitch, which will serve as a foundation for presentations at the September conference and as a basis for securing supporting partners and financial resources. At the end of the meeting, we held an internal vote for the ‘winning project selected by the group’. Key content highlights and findings of the event: System Change Compass is an exceptional tool for introducing quality circular changes in organizations, local communities and regions, as it includes 10 key areas that need to be redefined. The participants emphasized that Zasavje can build on its mining tradition, which already emphasizes community and cooperation. However, they highlighted challenges in the preparation and implementation of green orders and the need for a comprehensive soil analysis, since the last one was carried out in 2001. Dewesoft was recognized as an excellent example of an integrated system approach, as it already implements many local projects in the spirit of a just and circular transition, from entrepreneurship to tourism. The participants developed presentations for the following project ideas: Micro-reinforcement materials from bio-based products, Circular Business Zone and Medijske Toplice – a beacon of regeneration. Each group answered key questions regarding the purpose and goals of the project, the problems addressed, the solutions offered, the stakeholders involved, the uniqueness of the solution, the business model, the necessary resources, the project holders and the first steps for implementation. The next steps include upgrading the presentations to obtain the necessary contacts, partners and sources of funding, as well as the organization of the autumn workshop and Zasavje regional conference in October 2024. The summaries of the workshop are collected in the attached visual material. The activities of the Just Transition Center are fully financed from the technical assistance funds of the Just Transition Fund.