The European Commission’s proposed Reform and Growth Facility for the Republic of Moldova
December 4, 2024
This briefing uses the experience from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Western Balkans Reform and Growth Facility approved earlier this year to propose improvements in the Commission’s proposed Regulation.
How to advance a just transition in the Western Balkans: Recommendations for the EU and national institutions
September 27, 2024
This briefing takes stock of the current situation with the decarbonisation of the Western Balkans’s economy and summarises the progress on just transition in each country.
Comply or Close 2024: six years of deadly legal breaches by Western Balkan coal plants
September 17, 2024
The end of 2023 marked six years since the deadline passed for power plants in the Western Balkans to meet new air pollution standards. Yet the deadly air pollution from the region’s mostly antiquated coal power plants has hardly decreased at all since 2018.
From quantity to quality: how to improve the infrastructure project selection process under the Western Balkans Investment Framework
August 29, 2024
The Western Balkans Investment Framework provides finance and technical assistance for investments, particularly in infrastructure, energy efficiency and private sector development.
Delays in Almaty CHP-2 gas project open new opportunities for a rethink
May 29, 2024
Supported by the EBRD, the conversion of Almaty’s coal heat and power plant CHP-2 to gas has been seriously delayed. This opens an opportunity for a rethink: Why is the EBRD continuing to support this project instead of funding a clean and potentially cheaper type of heating?
Air pollution in Ugljevik, Bosnia and Herzegovina
March 27, 2024
Ugljevik lignite-fired power plant, located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is notorious Europe-wide for its extremely high emissions of sulphur dioxide into the air. Despite the exceptionally high stack of the power plant, the town of Ugljevik is still suffering from serious air pollution.
Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition for Western Balkans and Ukraine: where we are and how to move forward
January 22, 2024
The Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition for Western Balkans and Ukraine platform builds on the experiences of the EU Initiative for coal regions in transition since 2017, with both initiatives contributing to implementing the European Green Deal.
Bosnia likely to end deal with Chinese consortium on Tuzla 7 coal plant construction
October 10, 2023
Elektroprivreda BiH has been planning for years to build a new unit at the Tuzla coal-fired power plant. / Elektroprivreda BiH …
Bosnia and Herzegovina is not planning new Coal or Gas Power Plants
July 25, 2023
… “The draft National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) finally looks to the future, does not plan new fossil …
Comply or Close 2023: five years of deadly legal breaches by Western Balkan coal plants
June 28, 2023
The end of 2022 marked five years since new air pollution standards entered into force in the Western Balkans on 1 January 2018. Yet the deadly air pollution from the region’s mostly antiquated coal power plants has hardly decreased at all. In fact, in 2022 it increased compared to 2021 for all three regulated pollutants