Beyond profit: Launch of report on EU’s green finance challenges
March 12, 2024
Ahead of the upcoming EU elections, uncertainty surrounds the financing of the EU’s climate agenda and the future of flagship initiatives such as the European Green Deal and the NextGenerationEU fund. Despite ambitious intentions, progress on environmental sustainability and economic recovery is failing to improve people’s well-being, according to a new report by the Citizens’ Observatory on Green Deal Financing.
Environmental groups urge European Commission to speed up nature safeguards in the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova
February 23, 2024
The EU must accelerate plans to strengthen nature protection rules for energy infrastructure development under the Energy Community Treaty (1), 36 civil society organisations today urged the EU Commissioner for Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius, in a joint letter.
Needs and priorities for biodiversity funding: a comparative analysis of Latvia and Estonia
February 22, 2024
This briefing provides an overview of the priorities for national biodiversity needs in Latvia and Estonia.
Halfway there but facing a mid-life crisis: why the EU’s recovery fund is failing to deliver
February 21, 2024
The European Commission’s mid-term evaluation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, published today, delivers an overly positive assessment. According to CEE Bankwatch Network, the EU’s landmark fund, which was expected to bring about a ‘green recovery’, still faces numerous implementation challenges.
Recommendations on how to determine the contribution of EU funds for biodiversity
January 31, 2024
This briefing aims to demonstrate the need to ensure a greater and more accurate amount of funding is channelled to the right areas, as well as to explore potential alternatives ahead of the next EU budget.
The Tisza–Túr reservoir: restoring habitats to help farmers adapt to floods and drought
December 20, 2023
This case study demonstrates the Tisza–Túr flood reservoir which uses controlled flooding and draining methods, and serves the dual purpose of preventing both floods and drought.
Lessons from the ground: application of the ‘do no significant harm’ principle under the Recovery and Resilience Facility
December 20, 2023
This briefing outlines the key barriers preventing a more successful application of the ‘do no significant harm’ principle, based on ongoing experience under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and provides recommendations for improvement.
A truly nature friendly investment – support for the development of Blooming meadows
December 18, 2023
This case study demonstrates a new pilot programme which is designed specifically to help these grasslands and the landowners managing them.
Protecting the biodiversity of Estonia’s agricultural landscapes
December 6, 2023
The case study demonstrates some of the many ways EU funds can and should be used to support nature restoration and conservation projects. These are instrumental to address the biodiversity crisis across sectors.
New elections in Poland offer one last chance to solve the Oder River catastrophe
December 1, 2023
The Oder River, which forms the border between Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic, faced a severe environmental disaster in 2022. More than one year later, the river is in peril again. The decisions taken by the previous government have so far only exacerbated the situation. Now, a new government offers one last opportunity to show environmental stewardship and reverse the catastrophe.
