June 19, 2026 | Read more The Western Balkan countries have low or no fossil gas dependence, but the United States is trying to change this. As a major gas producer, its approach to the region is increasingly clashing with the EU’s decarbonisation agenda, raising the threat of increased import dependence or stranded assets.
June 11, 2026 | Read more With only three months to go until EU Member States must submit their national restoration plans, EuroNatur and Bankwatch are warning that implementation of the EU’s Nature Restoration Regulation will not be possible without sufficient dedicated public funding. In a new report launched today at an event in the European Parliament, they highlight that, without adequate EU funding, many national restoration plans may prove ineffective, failing to restore all damaged ecosystems by 2050. And in the absence of the European Commission’s long-awaited 2025 financing report, governments are now without essential guidance on investment needs and funding pathways.
June 3, 2026 | Read more As temperatures rise over the summer months, conversations about heating homes may seem distant for many. Yet for many residents of Petroșani – a former coal-mining town in Romania’s Jiu Valley – the challenge of keeping homes warm is a recurring reality that returns every winter, shaped by ageing buildings, low incomes and limited access to support.
May 27, 2026 | Read more Slovenia’s state-owned Hidroelektrarne na Spodnji Savi (HESS) has for two decades been trying to build the controversial Mokrice hydropower plant on the river Sava. But poor quality environmental studies have been repeatedly quashed in court by the Slovenian Native Fish Society, and a recent transboundary assessment’s claims that the impacts will stop at the Croatian border are far from convincing.
May 20, 2026 | Read more The rising prices of oil, gas, fertilisers and other commodities pose significant challenges to central and eastern European economies dependent on fossil fuels.
May 14, 2026 | Read more When the Republika Srpska authorities signed contracts with the China Eximbank to finance the Dabar hydropower plant at the end of 2021, it seemed like the first and largest part of the Upper Horizons complex was a done deal. Today, more than four years later, obstacles are piling up for this controversial project, providing a much-needed opportunity to rethink the whole idea.
May 12, 2026 | Read more At a time when gender equality is under mounting pressure globally, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is preparing to adopt its new Gender Equality and Human Capital Strategy (2026–2030). The stakes could not be higher. Progress on gender equality and inclusion is not only stalling across the EBRD’s regions, it is actually reversing. Given the EBRD’s democracy mandate and its advanced experience in promoting gender equality, it is crucial for the Bank to adopt a robust strategy.
April 29, 2026 | Read more Over the past few years, the public transport fleet in Bishkek – Kyrgyzstan’s capital city – has changed visibly. In a city where privately operated minibuses, known as marshrutkas, dominated for years, new gas-powered buses and electric buses are now in service.
April 27, 2026 | Read more 47 civil society organisations have today called on Western Balkan governments to resist pressure from the United States and cancel plans to build new gas pipelines and power plants.
April 23, 2026 | Read more The key to long-term sustainability of the energy transition is a decentralised electricity generation system where everyone can be an active participant and share the benefits. For this to happen, the distribution grids that connect end consumers to the system need to be bidirectional, stable, modern and smart.
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