Unprecedented Attacks on NGOs in the EU – We Call on All Democratic Forces To Act for a Strong and Independent Civil Society
April 7, 2025
At a time when democratic values are being eroded across the EU and Member States, and civic actors acting for these values are increasingly under attack, this renewed offensive on funding for CSOs and on our legitimacy in the democratic process risks not only shrinking European civic spaces further but weakening democracy as a whole.
Biodiversity funding in the EU’s next long-term budget: Opportunities and risks for national plans
March 27, 2025
This joint statement highlights the key opportunities and challenges for improving the design and deployment of biodiversity financing in the next EU budget, particularly if national plans are introduced.
The need for phasing out peat to reduce climate crises: Latvia’s challenges and opportunities
March 25, 2025
The most significant uses of peat in the world are for the creation of soil substrates and the production of energy. In 2022, the peat sector was responsible for 10.7 per cent of Latvia’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Peatlands store twice as much carbon as forests worldwide.
Avoiding the death of LIFE: Why Europe’s flagship environmental programme must remain part of the next EU budget
March 24, 2025
The LIFE programme, a proven and effective resource for financing biodiversity, is widely regarded as one of the EU’s best performing funds.
Preparing municipalities for the future: A guide to decarbonisation solutions
March 18, 2025
This guide provides an overview of possible funding streams and necessary steps to secure decarbonisation solutions for municipalities.
Reforming with purpose: A checklist of reforms and investments for the EU’s national social climate plans
March 12, 2025
National social climate plans are a critical component of the EU’s efforts to ensure a fair and equitable transition to climate neutrality, helping to counterbalance the adverse impacts of the EU’s second Emissions Trading System on the most vulnerable.
Ringing the bell for gender equality and diversity: European public banks must do more for women’s rights and economic empowerment
March 7, 2025
In the current age of ‘competent white men’, ‘traditional family values’ and the EU’s simplified sustainable finance regulations, what lies in store for the inclusion and equality policies of Europe’s public development banks?
Open letter from civil society to the EU on the Ukraine Facility
February 28, 2025
This joint letter from Ukrainian and European civil society organisations urges the EU to improve the Ukraine Facility by enhancing transparency, environmental safeguards, civil society participation, and municipal funding. These recommendations aim to
Romania: Key Black Sea gas pipeline goes on trial
February 27, 2025
‘Gas hub’ is Europe’s buzzword du jour, and the Romanian government certainly has high ambitions. With shiny new pipelines and a massive drilling rig in the Black Sea, Bucharest is working hard to capitalise on its neighbours’ fossil gas addiction – and to hell with the EU’s climate commitments. Even due process has been little more than an afterthought. Until this week.
Greening the EU budget: why climate mainstreaming needs reform
February 26, 2025
CEE Bankwatch Network (2024) analysed the practical implementation of the DNSH principle in the RRF using six case studies. In some cases, the simplified procedure relied solely on uncritically accepting the countries’ declarations.
