News

February 12, 2025 | Read more

Wartime challenges and the European integration process present both obstacles and opportunities for Ukraine. As the country rebuilds, it has the opportunity to adopt EU best practices by embracing democratic values, public participation through the partnership principle, and financial transparency.

January 30, 2025 | Read more

Ukrainian civil society is both the main beneficiary and the driving force behind Ukraine’s reconstruction. The Ukraine Facility Regulation invites socio-economic partners and civil society representatives to submit ‘opinions’ to the European Commission on implementation of the Ukraine Plan. However, its influence remains limited.

January 27, 2025 | Read more

Geothermal energy is becoming an increasingly popular way to heat homes and buildings across Europe. Efficient use of this renewable energy source not only significantly lowers heating costs compared to gas-based systems, but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves urban air quality.

January 20, 2025 | Read more

Nestled at the foothills of Călimani National Park in eastern Romania, the Răstolița river, a tributary of the Mureș, flows through a pristine and biodiverse landscape. However, this idyllic setting is under threat from the Răstolița hydropower project, a relic of the communist era. Designed over 30 years ago, this outdated project is incompatible with modern environmental standards and poses a severe threat to the unique ecosystem of the Răstolița river, home to the endangered Danube salmon.

January 16, 2025 | Read more

Following multiple allegations of human rights violations by Indorama Agro on a controversial cotton project funded by public development banks, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)’s Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM) has finally launched an investigation to determine whether the project adheres to the EBRD’s environmental and social standards.

January 14, 2025 | Read more

Fossil gas makes up less than three per cent of total energy supply in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), but instead of making use of the opportunity to leapfrog straight from coal to renewables, the Federation of BiH (FBiH) government is inexplicably expanding its gasification ambitions.

January 13, 2025 | Read more

CEE Bankwatch Network and Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe have formally requested a review (1) of the European Commission’s decision to approve five Western Balkan countries’ Reform Agendas under the new Reform and Growth Facility. The groups argue that the approval breached EU law by failing to apply mandatory environmental safeguards and public consultation requirements.

December 20, 2024 | Read more

The European Commission yesterday announced the disbursement of EUR 2.7 billion from the EU Modernisation Fund to support 39 investment projects across eight Member States. However, CEE Bankwatch Network’s analysis shows that a significant portion of this funding is being disbursed to projects that contradict the EU’s climate and energy targets for 2030.

December 18, 2024 | Read more

The long-running controversy about the planned southern gas interconnector between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has dramatically reignited this month. After fervent lobbying by the US Ambassador to BiH, a special law on the project was adopted by the first of two houses of the Federation of BiH entity parliament on 12 December. But political controversies have monopolized the debate, with hardly a word on its energy, economic or climate implications.

December 11, 2024 | Read more

Perched 1,456 metres above sea level in the Durmitor National Park in Montenegro, Žabljak, the highest urban settlement in the Western Balkans, is looking for new heating solutions. A 2020 pre-feasibility suggested biomass, but determined to avoid air pollution and deforestation, the local authorities set out to find a better way forward.