Recovery Fund: what investments to fight energy poverty?
February 27, 2023
Public investments proposed by governments should address energy poverty by ensuring affordable energy prices, energy efficiency improvements, energy savings and social inclusion. Are there good practices that manage to combine these dimensions? What investments do we need to respond to this urgency?
Assessment of Latvia’s Territorial Just Transition Plan
February 22, 2023
Latvia’s just transition regions – Latgale, Vidzeme, Zemgale and Kurzeme – are supposed to stop extracting and using peat for energy. Instead, with the help of EU funding allocated to various measures and projects through a Territorial Just Transition
Riga’s climate neutrality planning: an example of realistic ambition and public engagement
February 15, 2023
This briefing provides an overview of the planning process Riga city council took when designing the Riga Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan Until 2030, as well as insight into the plan itself.
Biodiversity on the brink: What’s holding back financing for nature in the EU?
February 7, 2023
This report provides insights into a number of significant barriers at the national level to financing nature restoration and conservation measures, such as authorities’ lack of knowledge about what constitutes biodiversity, insufficient collaboration between actors and excessively restrictive funding criteria. It also includes recommendations for both the EU and national levels.
Conditionality mechanisms and the green transition: the case of EU funding for Poland
February 6, 2023
The dispute over the rule of law between Poland’s government and the European Commission culminated in a recent announcement by EU officials to block funds for Poland. The country’s authorities must take the Commission’s reservations seriously and address them immediately. Meanwhile, they must start implementing investments planned in the cohesion policy programmes as soon as possible to better address the challenges posed by the climate and energy crises.
What is the current state of the just transition processes in Bulgaria?
January 30, 2023
This briefing summarises just transition planning in Bulgaria thus far, reviewing the TJTPs’ compatibility with EU requirements and the overall process’s alignment with the partnership principle. It provides recommendations for improving just transition in the upcoming period.
Citizens’ Observatory on Green Deal Financing Kick-off event
January 26, 2023
The Citizens’ Observatory on Green Deal Financing kick-off event took place on 23-26 January 2023 in Belgium, Brussels. The event was organised to bring together project partners and other organisations interested in working together on monitoring EU funds and advocating for more transparency and public participation in Member States. 35 participants from 16 countries attended the event.
Energy poverty in Latvia – from definition towards action
January 24, 2023
This summary briefing reviews the state of energy poverty in Latvia, focusing on how this term is defined in Latvian law and practice and what programmes are in place to assist those struggling to pay for the energy they use.
REPowerEU deal is a blow to a more climate-oriented energy policy in central and eastern Europe
December 22, 2022
Six months after the proposal was put forward, a deal was struck by EU negotiators on the financial leg of the REPoweREU plan, the EU’s strategy to cope with the energy crisis and phase Russian fuels out of the market. National governments will be invited to quickly add new chapters to their recovery plans, which is potentially good news and a chance to further invest in the energy transition. However, Member States must avoid falling into the trap of fossil fuels, which are making a comeback in the palette of investments eligible for EU funds.
Analysis of alternatives to coal-based district heating for the Bitola region in North Macedonia
December 21, 2022
The study examines the current heating situation in the Bitola region (covering the municipalities of Bitola, Mogila and Novaci), followed by an analysis of the techno-economic potential for using decentralised heating solutions that are also in line with the country’s environmental protection commitments.
