The economic viability of coal is ever decreasing. Without public financial support many coal investments are doomed to fail. Yet several institutions are still willing to finance an energy source that wrecks our climate, damages our health and wastes our money.
To help bring about a world beyond coal, we investigate and promote a socially responsible transition while exposing the economic, legal, social and environmental risks of coal power.
Stay informed
We provide updates in English from the Balkans and other coal regions.
IN FOCUS
Just transition
No one should be left behind when we reconstruct our world into one driven by clean energy. Working on just transition brings all actors who believe in fair regional redevelopment to the same table: unions, industry, public administration, governments, civil society and others sharing this goal.
Coal projects
Fossil gas
Fossil gas is the new coal. Although often labelled ‘natural,’ fossil gas is a major driver of the climate crisis. There is no more room for new investments in fossil gas projects if we are to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis and set a path towards decarbonisation.
District heating
District heating and individual heating are still dominated by fossil fuels and inefficient burning of wood without regard to sustainability criteria, in combination with a low degree of energy efficiency. This has to change, since heating plays a crucial role in the transition into a clean and zero-carbon economy.
Just transition
Working on just transition brings all actors who believe in fair regional redevelopment to the same table: unions, industry, public administration, governments, civil society and others sharing this goal. They should be working together to find what is best for their regions and communities, from creating good quality jobs to identifying sustainable alternatives.
Latest news
Radio silence on gas allegations: European Commission breaks another deadline to respond to Bankwatch’s complaint
Blog entry | 21 October, 2021The European Commission’s Directorate General for Energy is dragging its feet in answering allegations on its role in the selection of priority gas pipelines in the Western Balkans and Caucasus region. The delays threaten to diminish the chances of the Ombudsman’s findings being taken into account while developing new EU energy rules.
Read moreEU complicity in colossal, lawless air pollution from Balkan coal plants must prompt swift action – new report
Press release | 7 September, 2021Around 19,000 people are estimated to have died over the past three years as a result of air pollution from Western Balkan coal-fired power plants, according to a report released today by CEE Bankwatch Network and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
Read moreRomania, Romania may still have 2,100 MW in coal capacity by 2030
Bankwatch in the media | 15 August, 2021According to the latest Bankwatch report, in 2020, the installed coal capacity in the Romanian energy system stood at 4,590 MW in eight …
Read moreRelated publications
It is time for EBRD to become the lighthouse for fossil-free development banks
Advocacy letter | 24 June, 2021 | Download PDFOn the occasion of its 30th anniversary, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has the opportunity to help avert climate breakdown by putting itself at the heart of the global transition to a carbon-free economy. This joint state
New beginnings at 30: can the EBRD leave behind fossil gas to become a bank fit for our future?
Briefing | 16 June, 2021 | Download PDFThis report analyses the EBRD’s energy-related operations across the first two years of the Bank’s new Energy Sector Strategy (ESS) (2019-2020). This initial period of the ESS’s implementation is also compared to the previous ESS implementation period
Joint CSO letter on the TEN-E regulation: Stop the expansion of fossil gas
Advocacy letter | 1 June, 2021 | Download PDFThis advocacy letter aims to express civil society organisations’ concerns on the reintroduction of fossil gas in the revised trans-European infrastructure energy (TEN-E) regulation. Bankwatch and 53 other CSOs ask governments to vote against the incl
