Garden of Eden or desert? Water retention in the Great Hungarian Plain and the Recovery Facility
June 5, 2023
The 2022 drought demonstrated what experts have known for years, that Europe’s next crisis will be water. Ill-considered water management practices, damming, irrigation, and overuse of subsurface water have damaged entire landscapes on our continent.
Tackling energy poverty in EU Member States
June 2, 2023
This briefing provides an overview of selected energy poverty measures in five European countries (the Czech Republic, Italy, Latvia, Poland and Slovakia) to illustrate different understandings and approaches to tackling energy poverty across Europe.
Selection criteria for energy communities: a practical checklist
May 31, 2023
This briefing includes a set of practical recommendations for developing successful calls for proposals, including suitable selection criteria that can boost the growth of the community energy movement across central and eastern Europe.
Towards energy democracy: launch of new financing tracker for energy communities in the EU
May 19, 2023
The EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 offers a unique opportunity to use public finances to accelerate the energy transition. But to succeed, this transition must be inclusive, equitable and citizen-centred.
Latvia’s REPowerEU chapters – progress made and necessary investments
May 12, 2023
Most EU countries missed the deadline to submit additional REPowerEU chapters to national recovery and resilience plans on time, including Latvia, where few details about the reasons for the delay have emerged. Here are some ideas on how Latvia can make the best use of EU funds to help decarbonise its energy system and support its citizens.
Transalpine oil pipeline expansion: REPowerEU funds must not swell the coffers of energy crisis profiteers
April 19, 2023
Using EU funds, the Czech government plans to provide EUR 114 million for the expansion of the Transalpine (TAL) oil pipeline, which links the Italian port of Trieste with refineries in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. The project raises concerns about its compliance with EU legislation as well as its environmental and economic sustainability.
Nuclear ambitions risk hindering Estonia’s energy transition
April 5, 2023
The Estonian government is considering pumping money into controversial nuclear power. Instead, it should strengthen its efforts to ensure a resilient, fully renewable and decentralised energy infrastructure.
Energiaátmenet: a helyi önkormányzatok, hatóságok hogyan építhetik a helyi kapacitásokat és növelhetik az átmenet társadalmi elfogadottságát?
April 5, 2023
This briefing focuses on enhancing local capacities, including workers’ skills, the participation process and investment opportunities to accelerate energy transition, particularly in Hungary’s three just transition regions.
Stara Zagora: caught between its brown coal past and a bright green future
March 30, 2023
In February and March 2023, our environmental organisation Za Zemiata (Friends of the Earth – Bulgaria) organised several meetings in Stara Zagora and Galabovo in south-central Bulgaria dedicated to just energy transition and the development opportunities it offers the region. Our main aim was to involve local stakeholders whose voices have thus far been ignored. Participants included representatives of civil society, members of small and medium-sized enterprises and academics from Trakia University in Stara Zagora. Unfortunately, despite efforts to foster dialogue between business, civil society, academia and the institutions, the absence of the municipality, which was invited to attend the meetings, was notable.
Kosovo becomes the first Western Balkan country to stop promoting new hydropower
March 28, 2023
After years of hydropower-related controversies, Kosovo’s long-awaited new Energy Strategy confirms that the government does not support new development in the sector, due to its environmental impacts. It also sends promising signals on carbon pricing and solar and wind development. Still, the country needs to avoid wasting money on coal and gas.
