Free-flowing rivers in Central Asia
March 3, 2025
Central Asian rivers are under threat from hundreds of new hydropower plants. We have created a map of the key rivers in the region that need urgent protection and are calling on the development banks to stop their destruction.
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.
Răstolița: Major destruction for minimal energy
January 20, 2025
Nestled at the foothills of Călimani National Park in eastern Romania, the Răstolița river, a tributary of the Mureș, flows through a pristine and biodiverse landscape. However, this idyllic setting is under threat from the Răstolița hydropower project, a relic of the communist era. Designed over 30 years ago, this outdated project is incompatible with modern environmental standards and poses a severe threat to the unique ecosystem of the Răstolița river, home to the endangered Danube salmon.
Needs and priorities for biodiversity funding: A comparative analysis of Hungary and Poland
December 20, 2024
his briefing compares national biodiversity needs and priorities in Hungary and Poland, two of the principal recipients of EU funding.
Harmful project documenting tool
December 20, 2024
This project documenting tool offers simple, step-by-step guidance to help people gather essential information on problematic projects – a practical resource for anyone concerned with protecting their natural surroundings.
Bern Convention: Western Balkan countries need to propose new protected natural areas
December 9, 2024
The Bern Convention on Friday set a new target and agreed on a roadmap for the expansion of the Emerald Network of protected areas. The aim of the Network is to preserve endangered species and habitats throughout Europe.
Emerald Network in the Western Balkans
November 27, 2024
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia are required to establish a sufficient number of Emerald Network sites as signatories to the Bern Convention. However, since 2011, not a single new site has been proposed and many stunning rivers remain unprotected. The #EmeraldForRivers campaign aims to support governments in expanding the Emerald Network.
EU funds: Protecting or damaging nature? How to avoid harmful projects
October 21, 2024
The following recommendations how to prevent projects that damage nature from being financed in the future are based on the case studies from Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Slovenia.
European Parliament fails to halt disastrous hydropower project jeopardising local livelihoods and endangered species
September 27, 2024
WWF and CEE Bankwatch Network question the EU Commission’s reasons for putting this decades-old project on the Danube river on its priority investment list.
Turnu Măgurele – Nikopol Hydraulic Structures Assembly on the Danube river, Romania and Bulgaria
September 20, 2024
The project, if built, would not only devastate critical habitats, leading to the potential extinction of species such as the Danube sturgeons, but also displace local communities, disrupt existing investments, and violate several EU environmental directives.
