June 6, 2023 | Read more More than EUR 1.5 billion in EU funds has been provided to Poland and Romania for fossil gas projects since 2014. The two governments have earmarked even larger sums for the current EU budget period despite the bloc’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to a report released today by CEE Bankwatch Network.
June 2, 2023 | Read more In May 2023, a massive fire broke out at the Nubarashen landfill on the outskirts of Yerevan, enveloping the city in a cloud of toxic smoke generated by the burning waste. It took 10 days and 2,300 truckloads of soil to extinguish the flames. Coming seven years after Yerevan became a pioneer by joining the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)’s Green Cities initiative, this incident is a stark reminder of the urgent need to adopt a safer and more sustainable approach to waste management and urban planning.
May 19, 2023 | Read more The EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 offers a unique opportunity to use public finances to accelerate the energy transition. But to succeed, this transition must be inclusive, equitable and citizen-centred.
May 12, 2023 | Read more Most EU countries missed the deadline to submit additional REPowerEU chapters to national recovery and resilience plans on time, including Latvia, where few details about the reasons for the delay have emerged. Here are some ideas on how Latvia can make the best use of EU funds to help decarbonise its energy system and support its citizens.
May 11, 2023 | Read more Bankwatch Romania today submitted a complaint to the European Commission, seeking to reverse an Emergency Ordinance of the Romanian Government, which greenlights nine destructive hydropower projects (1) and is considered to breach three European Union Directives.
May 2, 2023 | Read more The European Investment Bank (EIB) made history with its decision to stop financing fossil fuel energy from 2022 onwards. By adopting the PATH Framework in October 2021, it seemed the EIB had finally set the conditions requiring its clients to disclose information on their corporate-level emissions, as well as decarbonisation plans. But a year later, it made a U-turn.
April 19, 2023 | Read more Using EU funds, the Czech government plans to provide EUR 114 million for the expansion of the Transalpine (TAL) oil pipeline, which links the Italian port of Trieste with refineries in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. The project raises concerns about its compliance with EU legislation as well as its environmental and economic sustainability.
April 14, 2023 | Read more The European Investment Bank (EIB) breached its environmental standards during the approval of the Komalj small hydropower plant in Serbia, the Bank’s Complaint Mechanism has concluded, in a report published today. (1)
April 12, 2023 | Read more Latvia’s government announced yesterday (11 April) it is terminating plans for a liquified fossil gas (commonly termed liquified natural gas or LNG) terminal in Skulte.
April 6, 2023 | Read more Declic – one of Romania’s most important NGOs – has filed the country’s first ever climate lawsuit for the government’s failure to take appropriate measures to reduce and mitigate the foreseeable risks posed by the climate crisis. Climate activists from Declic also asked the court to issue Romanian Prime Minister Nicoale Ciucă and the Ministers of Environment and Energy with fines for every day of inaction. The case alleges that Romanian officials have breached their legal duties to adopt and implement an energy transition strategy that aligns with the Paris Agreement, keeping the global average temperature below a 1.5°C increase.
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