March 9, 2023 | Read more CEE Bankwatch Network and ÖKOBÜRO have initiated legal action (1) to uphold EU environmental law and public consultation requirements when building renewable energy facilities. The groups argue that an emergency regulation adopted by the Council of the European Union in December 2022 breaches EU and international law.
March 3, 2023 | Read more The lack of modernisation and rehabilitation of Romania’s district heating systems is felt most strongly by the inhabitants, but it also affects local budgets and has a negative impact on the environment.
February 27, 2023 | Read more In December 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted an emergency regulation aimed at speeding up renewable energy deployment. But Member States have to uphold environmental safeguards and consult the public if they don’t want to end up doing the opposite, warns our new position paper.
February 22, 2023 | Read more Under the absurd claim that the country doesn’t have enough motorways or hydropower generation capacity because of NGOs’ actions in court challenging environmental and construction permits, the Romanian parliament is going after civil society altogether and on multiple fronts.
February 20, 2023 | Read more People living in the settlements adjacent to landfills slated for expansion under an EBRD waste management project were not adequately consulted.
February 17, 2023 | Read more The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) appears keen to finance a major new pipeline to import fossil gas from Greece to North Macedonia, which would lock the country into increased fossil gas use for decades. Yet when the rationale for this is questioned, the EBRD fails to provide relevant data to justify its claims.
February 13, 2023 | Read more Today, scientists and non-governmental organisations from 11 countries have published a list of 88 rivers they consider high priority for protection, urging Western Balkan countries that have signed the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) to expand the Emerald Network in the region.
February 6, 2023 | Read more 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.
February 3, 2023 | Read more On 1 February, representatives of Ukrainian and international civil society organisations sent an open letter to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. In the letter, they call on the European Union to support civil society engagement and the incorporation of green principles into Ukraine’s reconstruction process, which will go hand in hand with the country’s EU accession.
February 2, 2023 | Read more After years of community complaints about the environmental and social damage caused by Ukrainian agro-giant Myronivsky Hliboprodukt (MHP), independent investigators are now looking into the role of international public finance in contributing to those harms. Considering the current food crisis, Ukraine’s important role in the global food supply chain and the prospect of more international investments to prop up Ukraine’s economy, it is time for financiers to learn the lessons of their past mistakes.
Stay informed
Receive our monthly overviews of the latest developments on the ground.