Romania’s Parliament paves the way for environmental destruction and ‘foreign agent’ repression
October 20, 2025
Romania stands at a dangerous crossroads. Last week, a law initiated by the senator Daniel Zamfir in 2022 and already then rejected by the Senate, passed by a crushing majority (262–33) in the decisive Deputies Chamber.
Corridor Vc in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Environmental and social impacts can no longer be ignored
October 17, 2025
The EU’s flagship infrastructure project in Bosnia and Herzegovina – the 330-kilometre Corridor Vc motorway – now stands at a critical crossroads. To date, only one-third of the corridor has been completed, financed through more than EUR 3 billion in loans and grants from the EU, the EIB, and the EBRD.
Expanding the Emerald Network: Progress and gaps in the Western Balkans
October 9, 2025
At the 15th meeting of the Bern Convention’s Group of Experts on Protected Areas and Ecological Networks – held from 7 to 8 October 2025 in Bar, Montenegro – participants reviewed progress towards establishing the Emerald Network of protected areas. As part of the programme, the group visited Lake Skadar, one of Montenegro’s key Emerald sites, acknowledging the government’s efforts to safeguard this unique ecosystem.
Dead end ahead: How gas plans are distracting the Western Balkans from the energy transition
September 25, 2025
This briefing provides an update on gas build-out plans in the Western Balkans since March 2023 and finds that they have remained remarkably steady in the last two years, despite increasing risks and financing challenges.
Dead end ahead for Western Balkan gas plans, shows new analysis
September 25, 2025
Western Balkan governments’ gas build-out plans remain as high as two years ago despite increasing risks of failure or stranded assets, finds a new briefing published today by CEE Bankwatch Network and Beyond Fossil Fuels (1).
Citizens urge Montenegrin government to halt gas deal with Japanese energy giant
September 9, 2025
A group of 40 non-governmental organisations, citizens, experts and environmental activists today sent an open letter to the Government of Montenegro and the Minister of Energy and Mining, Admir Šahmanović, calling for the suspension of the signing of a memorandum of understanding with JERA, Japan’s largest power generation company. The agreement concerns the proposed development of fossil gas projects in Montenegro, including a gas-fired power plant and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal with associated infrastructure. The agreement is set to be signed during the 2025 Gastech conference in Milan, taking place between 9 and 12 September.
Western Balkans: Majority of EU energy crisis package funds untraceable, shows new report
July 23, 2025
Only EUR 163 million of the European Commission’s EUR 1 billion emergency funding can be shown to have contributed to tackling the root causes of the energy crisis and advancing the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, according to a new report by CEE Bankwatch Network, published today (1). More than two years after the lion’s share of the funds were disbursed, most spending and results still cannot be traced using publicly available sources.
The billion euro question – What has been achieved with the EU’s Western Balkans Energy Support Package?
July 22, 2025
In November 2022, the European Commission announced a EUR 1 billion Energy Support Package for the Western Balkans to mitigate the immediate effects of the energy crisis and accelerate the energy transition in the region.
Serbia’s district heating crisis: Gas dependence fuels price volatility
July 1, 2025
Serbia’s district heating sector is facing an unprecedented crisis, driven by an overreliance on imported fossil fuels – particularly fossil gas – and an inability to control energy prices. This dependence puts the sector at a significant risk of collapse in the coming years, threatening the basic heating needs of millions of citizens. It also underscores the urgent need for the Serbian government to diversify the district heating system by integrating sustainable renewable energy sources.
Montenegro’s stop-start spatial plan set to greenlight harmful hydro projects
June 24, 2025
Montenegro is touted as the lead EU accession candidate these days, but it’s unfortunately far from ready. The country’s hotly debated new national spatial plan is a case in point, plagued by delays, legal breaches, opacity and all-round low quality.
