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.
April 5, 2023 | Read more The Estonian government is considering pumping money into controversial nuclear power. Instead, it should strengthen its efforts to ensure a resilient, fully renewable and decentralised energy infrastructure.
March 30, 2023 | Read more In February and March 2023, our environmental organisation Za Zemiata (Friends of the Earth – Bulgaria) organised several meetings in Stara Zagora and Galabovo in south-central Bulgaria dedicated to just energy transition and the development opportunities it offers the region. Our main aim was to involve local stakeholders whose voices have thus far been ignored. Participants included representatives of civil society, members of small and medium-sized enterprises and academics from Trakia University in Stara Zagora. Unfortunately, despite efforts to foster dialogue between business, civil society, academia and the institutions, the absence of the municipality, which was invited to attend the meetings, was notable.
March 30, 2023 | Read more Prague, Czech Republic – Plans for EUR 3.5 billion of new gas-fired power plants, pipelines, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in the Western Balkans would force countries to import far more gas than they have in the past, introducing economic and energy security risks into the region’s already challenging energy transition, finds new research from Global Energy Monitor and Bankwatch.
March 28, 2023 | Read more After years of hydropower-related controversies, Kosovo’s long-awaited new Energy Strategy confirms that the government does not support new development in the sector, due to its environmental impacts. It also sends promising signals on carbon pricing and solar and wind development. Still, the country needs to avoid wasting money on coal and gas.
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