Fossil fuels are fast losing their social license. It is becoming increasingly evident that countries’ continued reliance on dirty hydrocarbons escalates the climate crisis, worsens air pollution and enables war.
Long touted as a ‘bridge fuel,’ fossil gas now needs to be recognised by policymakers for the hurdle to the energy transition that it is, and multilateral development banks should urgently end support for gas projects and gas-dependent companies.
The energy transition has to be just and fast, with citizens, municipalities and workers as critical participants in the process. We are working to ensure no more public money is spent on coal, and public finance is used to accelerate this transition.
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IN FOCUS
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
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.
Modernisation fund
The Modernisation Fund can make a big difference. Redirecting future spending away from polluting energy sources while increasing support for sustainable energy investments would help Europe reduce emissions, slash air pollution, cut energy bills, improve energy security, and end the EU’s dependence on authoritarian regimes. To realise its potential, the Modernisation Fund needs to reform.
But will the EU seize the opportunity or leave its citizens to suffer the consequences?
Documentary: Turning the Tide
Our documentary exposes, for the first time, the extent of financial support four of the world’s leading multilateral development banks (MDBs) – the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – have been providing to the global fossil fuels industry over the past 13 years.
Our analysis shows that since 2008, the oil, coal and gas business has been enjoying no less than EUR 81.5 billion in support from these government-owned financial institutions in the form of loans, grants, credit lines and guarantees.
Coal projects
Ugljevik power plant, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Commissioned in 1985, the 300 MW coal power plant in Ugljevik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, has become famous for emitting more sulphur dioxide than all of Germany’s coal power plants in 2019.
Pljevlja I power plant, Montenegro
The existing 225 MW Pljevlja thermal power plant in the north of Montenegro, near the borders with Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, has been operating since 1982. The plant was originally planned to comprise two units but the second one was never built. The plant, along with the extensive use of coal and wood for heating, has caused unbearably bad air quality in the town.
Kostolac B power plant (B1, B2), Serbia
The Kostolac B power plant, consisting of 2 units of 350 MW each, first started operating in 1987. In 2023, the plant delivered 4445 GWh of electricity to the grid, nearly 20 per cent of the country’s coal-based generation.
Latest news
Croatian coal plant must not be resurrected
Blog entry | 13 February, 2019The Plomin 1 coal plant, on Croatia’s Istrian coast, is already 50 years old. In 2017 it closed due to a fire. Yet the Croatian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy looks set to allow Plomin 1’s owner, HEP, to bring it back from the dead without even an environmental impact assessment.
Read moreSerbia synon të fillojë termocentralin e ri në fund të vitit 2020
Bankwatch in the media | 5 February, 2019Kostolac B3, termocentrali i ri i Serbisë me kapacitet prej 350 megavatësh, do të fillojë prodhimin në fund të vitit 2020, sipas Ministrit të Energjisë të këtij vendi. Kostolac B3 paraqet vetëm hapin e parë të Serbisë në rrugëtimin drejt pozitës së liderit energjetik ne rajon.
Read moreCastilla-La Mancha anuncia que subvencionará estaciones de servicio expendedoras de combustibles fósiles
Bankwatch in the media | 30 January, 2019La consejera castellano-manchega de Economía, Empresas y Empleo, Patricia Franco, anunció ayer que su gobierno va a subvencionar el establecimiento de puntos de repostaje de gas en la región (el gas natural es un combustible fósil, cuya extracción, transporte y quema produce emisiones de CO2 y otros gases de efecto invernadero, desencadenantes de cambio climático).
Read moreRelated publications
Implementation of the Climate Investment Funds Accelerating Coal Transition Investment Plan for North Macedonia, with recommendations for 2026
Briefing | 19 December, 2025 | Download PDFThis briefing takes a closer look at the Annual just transition implementation plan 2025 and gives several recommendations for the 2026 update.
Hallucinating hydrogen: Why the PCI/PMI process must be overhauled
Report | 10 December, 2025 | Download PDFA new report by Bankwatch and Food & Water Action Europe exposes the fossil gas industry’s influence over the EU’s Projects of Common and Mutual Interest (PCI/PMI), which has prompted the European Commission to grant priority status to a record number of cross-border hydrogen infrastructure projects.
Beyond the scoreboard: Energy sector transformation under the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans
Report | 5 December, 2025 | Download PDFThis analysis offers an overview of the energy-related reforms from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia and then evaluates the countries’ progress.
