Clear rules on nature and water benefit renewable energy development and biodiversity: Joint civil society position paper on the inclusion of the EU Habitats, Birds and Water Framework Directives in the Energy Community Treaty
June 30, 2026
This joint civil society position paper, supported by 78 civil society organisations, provides an insight into why it is crucial to include the relevant provisions of the EU Habitats, Birds and Water Framework Directives in the Energy Community Treaty.
Europe risks failing to meet its Nature Restoration Regulation targets without adequate funding
June 11, 2026
With only three months to go until EU Member States must submit their national restoration plans, EuroNatur and Bankwatch are warning that implementation of the EU’s Nature Restoration Regulation will not be possible without sufficient dedicated public funding. In a new report launched today at an event in the European Parliament, they highlight that, without adequate EU funding, many national restoration plans may prove ineffective, failing to restore all damaged ecosystems by 2050. And in the absence of the European Commission’s long-awaited 2025 financing report, governments are now without essential guidance on investment needs and funding pathways.
Unlocking nature financing: National cost estimates for effective nature restoration
June 11, 2026
To support national planning, CEE Bankwatch Network and EuroNatur, in cooperation with national partners, led a study in five Member States – Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary and Croatia – to estimate financing needs for effective nature restoration.
The damage from Slovenia’s Mokrice dam won’t stop at the Croatian border
May 27, 2026
Slovenia’s state-owned Hidroelektrarne na Spodnji Savi (HESS) has for two decades been trying to build the controversial Mokrice hydropower plant on the river Sava. But poor quality environmental studies have been repeatedly quashed in court by the Slovenian Native Fish Society, and a recent transboundary assessment’s claims that the impacts will stop at the Croatian border are far from convincing.
Obstacles pile up for the Dabar hydropower plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Time to rethink the whole Upper Horizons complex
May 14, 2026
When the Republika Srpska authorities signed contracts with the China Eximbank to finance the Dabar hydropower plant at the end of 2021, it seemed like the first and largest part of the Upper Horizons complex was a done deal. Today, more than four years later, obstacles are piling up for this controversial project, providing a much-needed opportunity to rethink the whole idea.
Don’t look, don’t find: Buk Bijela’s ‘environmental impact assessment’
March 2, 2026
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Upper Drina hydropower scheme would turn 30 kilometres of this iconic river into stagnant reservoirs and cut a key Danube Salmon habitat into pieces. Its largest dam would be the 118-megawatt Buk Bijela, first proposed in the 1970s but repeatedly scuppered due to its impact on Montenegro’s Tara Canyon. Now a new environmental assessment is out for public consultation, but it’s being more than economical with the truth.
Deregulation endangers Latvia’s forests
February 26, 2026
Over the last year and half, the Latvian government has proposed multiple amendments to national environmental policies, often under the guise of ‘reducing administrative burdens’. But while simplifying procedures can speed up decision-making and ease workloads for businesses and landowners, the collateral damage can be significant – with nature, ecosystems and our collective well-being all at risk.
Preserving water resilience, preventing the weakening of the Water Framework Directive
February 19, 2026
In this letter environmental NGOs are urging the Commission to refrain from reopening or amending the Water Framework Directive.
Bridging the gap: Financing national nature restoration plans
February 12, 2026
This briefing provides information to national authorities on how they can best use current and future EU funds to finance their restoration plans.
Pandora’s box: Renewable energy permitting and biodiversity in Romania and Croatia
December 19, 2025
This briefing uses existing examples from renewables permitting, primarily in Romania and Croatia, to examine the risks and opportunities of specific permitting provisions from RED III and the proposed changes under the Grids Package.
