Will Europe’s just transition pilot support locals in Slovakia?
Blog entry | 20 February, 2020A just transition for Slovakia’s Upper Nitra is already underway. But turning plans into projects which can actually bring about this transition will be no easy feat. One of the challenges ahead will be to ensure that there is both enough money invested in the region and a sufficient number of good quality projects–projects that don’t lock in carbon-intensive technologies–that support local people.
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Irrespective of the size, the EU budget must serve higher climate ambition
Press release | 20 February, 2020EU leaders hold today a special European Council meeting where they will discuss and maybe agree on the size and structure of the EU budget for the period 2021-2027. Regardless of the size, current proposals for the EU budget of the next decade fall short of ambitious climate action.
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The Czech coal commission and its planned fossil fuels phase-out
Blog entry | 19 February, 2020In 2018, the average temperature in the Czech Republic was 1.7 degrees higher than the average in 1981-2010. The summer was the hottest since 1961 and the drought was extreme – as described in the Czech Republic 2018 Report on the Environment prepared by the Ministry of the Environment. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said that the Czech Republic is doing everything it can to protect the climate.
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Funding the right incentives for the just transition
Blog entry | 14 January, 2020The Commission’s proposal for a Just Transition Fund is encouraging as fossil fuels have been excluded. Special attention should be given though to key elements such as its mode of governance, geographical scope, and the types of activities eligible for funding.
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EU Just Transition Mechanism needs local ownership and concrete steps to decarbonisation
Press release | 10 January, 2020The 7.5 billion euros revealed today in a leak of the EU’s proposed Just Transition Mechanism can lead a sustainable and economically-fair move away from fossil fuels in Europe’s carbon-dependent regions, but only if local stakeholders are involved in planning the transformation and the funding is consistent with climate targets.
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A breath of fresh air: How Latvia can increase wind power capacity tenfold by 2030
Blog entry | 16 December, 2019When it comes to wind energy, Latvia lags far behind its neighbours.
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Bern Convention mission will investigate violations along the Struma motorway
Blog entry | 11 December, 2019On Friday 6 December, the Standing Committee of the Berne Convention decided to strengthen the monitoring of the Struma highway construction through the Kresna Gorge by sending an expert mission to the project. The decision followed a European Commission report identifying violations of European environmental legislation in the EIA procedure and in the application form for EU financing for the project.
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Just Transition funding needs to support real transitions
Press release | 17 October, 2019According to draft conclusions of the European Council, EU leaders meeting today and tomorrow look forward to a proposal from the European Commission to establish a Just Transition Fund.
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Climate neutrality or annihilation?
Blog entry | 3 October, 2019Today’s announcement by Estonia to reach climate neutrality by 2050 rings hollow given the country’s plans to increase shale oil production.
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First large-scale solar district heating plant in the Baltics opens in Latvia
Blog entry | 24 September, 2019In the town of Salaspils, Latvia, the sun will now provide most of the energy for heating water during warm months.
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