Europe has ambitions to become a global leader in the fight against climate breakdown. Transforming the continent’s energy systems and shifting towards climate-friendly alternatives requires massive investments, especially in central and eastern Europe, where outdated infrastructure and a reliance on fossil fuels persists.
The good news is that the EU has the financial means to fund this transformation. The challenge is ensuring that the investments of today are geared towards addressing the climate crisis and Europe’s declining state of nature.
We know that when people have a voice in investment decisions, the results speak for themselves: more acceptance and ownership of spending and a greater chance that harmful and wasteful projects are avoided.
We work to ensure that EU financial flows address the climate crisis and do no harm to people and nature. We do this by involving the public in the design and spending of EU investments.
IN FOCUS
Just transition
Countries across central and eastern Europe are committing to quit coal and shale oil. Now the task is to ensure that the just transition is driven from the bottom up and leaves no one behind as we move towards a sustainable energy future.
Building back biodiversity
Threats facing biodiversity are increasing alongside the drivers of the climate crisis. But investments in climate protection should not come at the expense of those that can help biodiversity. The two crises of climate and biodiversity are interconnected and both must be tackled together, because only by investing in nature can we tackle climate change.
RegENERate: Mobilising Regions for Energetic Re-development and Transformative NECPs
The overall objective of the project is to support the CEE countries’ contribution to the EU efforts towards a net-zero emissions future. The project will contribute to more ambitious and effective climate and energy policies in CEE, backed by a long-term commitment to phase out fossil fuels, improve energy efficiency and promote renewable energy.
Latest news
Bulgarian court rules out Sofia waste incinerator plant due to unassessed health risks and lack of public consultation
Press release | 26 September, 2023After eight years of litigation, Sofia’s Administrative Court overturned the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a waste incineration plant in the Bulgarian capital. Expected to burn processed waste in the form of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), the plant would have put the health of Sofia’s residents at risk, polluted the air, generated toxic ash and created additional traffic, the court ruled.
Read moreWhy we’re taking legal action on renewables permitting
Blog entry | 22 September, 2023It might seem counterintuitive for organisations that promote a sustainable energy transition to challenge EU initiatives to speed up renewable energy deployment. But due to undemocratic decisions that undermine environmental safeguards and public participation, that’s what we’ve been compelled to do.
Read moreHungarian public given just two weeks to voice concerns over EUR 5.5 billion REPowerEU chapter
Blog entry | 7 August, 2023Despite months of preparatory negotiations between the Hungarian government and the European Commission, the Hungarian public has only two weeks in August to participate in the public consultation on the extensive 67-page draft REPowerEU chapter before it’s submitted to the European Commission by 31 August.
Read moreRelated publications
The role of gas in the recovery and resilience plans
Briefing | 31 May, 2021 | Download PDFThis briefing analyses plans for gas investments in the recovery plans of eight central and eastern European countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia). It reveals that most contain gas investments,
Building back biodiversity: How EU Member States fail to spend the recovery fund for nature
study | 20 May, 2021 | Download PDFThis report brings together assessments of the national recovery and resilience plans of ten central and eastern European (CEE) countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia). It outli
Assessment of Hungary’s recovery and resilience plan
Briefing | 29 April, 2021 | Download PDFThis briefing provides an overview of Hungary’s proposed measures (as of 1 April) for spending funds from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. Although Hungary’s draft recovery and resilience plan does not directly finance fossil fuels, it does n
