The REPowerEU plan aims to protect EU citizens from the heavy consequences of the energy crisis, but such a goal cannot be achieved unless civil society has a voice in the discussions. With this in mind, REPowerEU does not look very promising.
As delegates are heading to the annual UN climate conference, rising energy costs expose the precarity of relying on fossil gas. The Romanian government should replace its grand plans for new gas infrastructure projects — which it seeks to finance with EU public money – with an acceleration of the sustainable energy transition.
On 10 October, Russia started multiple missile strikes on cities across Ukraine – from Kharkiv in the north-east to Lviv located close to the Polish border. Although Ukraine’s cities are still vulnerable to potential damage resulting from Russia’s aggression, there is a clear need for rebuilding critical infrastructure to allow people to move around and help those that have been displaced return home.
Albania’s new draft renewables law brings welcome changes such as a target for solar water heating but is too vague on crucial points such as sustainability, small plants, heat pumps and rooftop solar. Attracting big investors is important, but are small producers being neglected?
Estonia’s parliament adopted a new renewable electricity target of 100 per cent by 2030. This is a huge leap forward, indicating the necessity of strong political will to carry out the green transition and meet climate goals on time.
Simply put, the significant potential of EU funding is not being used for nature, and this must change.
