EU Reform and Growth Facility not yet speeding up energy transition in Western Balkans – new report
December 5, 2025
Two years after it was announced, the European Union’s Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans is struggling to deliver on its goals, according to a new analysis by CEE Bankwatch Network (1). The report reveals that a significant proportion of planned energy-related reforms are delayed and raises serious concerns about the suitability of performance-based models for the bulk of future EU funding in the region.
Beyond the scoreboard: Energy sector transformation under the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans
December 5, 2025
This analysis offers an overview of the energy-related reforms from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia and then evaluates the countries’ progress.
Inclusion of the Habitats, Birds and Water Framework Directives in the Energy Community Treaty: An urgent imperative
December 1, 2025
This briefing explains why the Birds Directive, Habitats Directive and Water Framework Directive need to be included in the Energy Community Treaty.
Albania’s Skavica dam can’t get off the ground – time to finally cancel it!
November 24, 2025
The highly damaging hydropower project could hardly have had stronger political support at its inception, with the country’s parliament passing a special law in 2021 to appoint U.S. construction giant Bechtel as the main contractor. But four years later, the project has stagnated, with no environmental permit and no financing.
With a revised Action Plan, is the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans finally on track?
November 6, 2025
The European Commission launched the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans in 2020. But five years later, progress is limited. In mid-October, an updated Action Plan was endorsed by Western Balkan leaders. Here we look at whether civil society proposals were taken into account and whether the revised plan can inject new dynamism into the process.
CBAM: Western Balkan governments must act now to avoid ‘perfect storm’ – new report
October 30, 2025
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) takes full effect from 1 January 2026. But Western Balkan governments’ lack of preparation increases the risk of a calamitous and unjust energy transition, finds a new report published today by CEE Bankwatch Network (1).
A perfect storm: The Western Balkans power sector in the time of CBAM
October 29, 2025
Starting with the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) full implementation in January 2026, most electricity generation companies in the Western Balkans will be heavily affected.
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.
