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towards climate-friendly alternatives requires massive investments, especially in central and eastern Europe, where outdated infrastructure and a reliance on fossil fuels persists.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.
RePower the Regions: Ambitious and inclusive clean energy plans for repowering the just transition regions
The participation and leadership of carbon-intensive regions in transitioning to clean energy solutions are prerequisites for achieving EU climate neutrality by 2050. Building on this premise, RePower the Regions aims to ensure that the regions’ clean energy plans are aligned with EU 2030 climate goals and have strong support locally, and to provide practical guidelines and roadmaps on how to repower the regions.
Latest news
Latvia considers a risky nuclear energy development path
Blog entry | 24 April, 2024Latvia already has a relatively high level of renewable energy production and, with many new wind and solar energy projects on the way, the country is not far from providing all the energy needed for its local consumption in annual terms. The greatest challenge remains ensuring a stable, balanced energy system. However, instead of planning for a 100 per cent renewables-based energy mix, the government has sparked a controversy by considering nuclear energy, a costly solution that would delay the transition.
Read moreBern Convention: Skavica dam in Albania contradicts the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme
Blog entry | 24 April, 2024The Bureau of the Convention recently accepted a new complaint and urged the Albanian authorities to not develop projects which may negatively affect habitats and species.
Read moreArt as a balm in the just transition: Inspiration from Poland and Romania
Blog entry | 22 March, 2024For the just transition to be successful, it is crucial to involve as many stakeholders as possible in the planning and implementation of the process. The coal regions of Jiu Valley in Romania and Eastern Wielkopolska in Poland are inspiring examples of this collaborative approach. Thanks to strong partnerships between local public authorities and civil society, both regions are now on the right track for a sustainable future beyond coal.
Read moreRelated publications
Paris alignment: why there is no more space for European public money to finance fossil fuels
Briefing | 14 December, 2023 | Download PDFThe aim of this briefing is to lay out the latest scientific evidence on why there is no more space for fossil fuel investments if we aim to keep global temperature increases to below 1.5 °C by the end of the century.
Monitoring cohesion policy funds in central and eastern Europe
Briefing | 12 December, 2023 | Download PDFThe purpose of this briefing is to provide an overview of the monitoring committees charged with overseeing programmes on the environment, climate and energy, and the just transition in eight countries in central and eastern Europe: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Protecting the biodiversity of Estonia’s agricultural landscapes
Case study | 6 December, 2023 | Download PDFThe 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.