New Biofuelwatch briefing exposes Tuzla power plant’s planned biomass unit as a dead end
December 21, 2023
A new briefing by Biofuelwatch, launched today, has revealed that the planned use of biomass energy crops in a new unit at the Tuzla coal power plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina is an unfeasible and environmentally risky endeavour.
Following the money: Romania
December 19, 2023
This briefing aims to comprehend the just transition outlined in the Romania’s Territorial Just Transition Plans for six designated regions – Hunedoara, Gorj, Dolj, Galați, Prahova, and Mureș – receiving funds from the Just Transition Fund.
The Upper Horizons complex, Bosnia and Herzegovina
December 18, 2023
The Upper Horizons hydropower complex has been planned since the mid-20th century, and is planned to consist of three plants — Dabar, Nevesinje and Bileća — linked by a series of tunnels and channels. If completed, it would have a devastating impact on the karst ecosystems of eastern Herzegovina and beyond.
The Ulog hydropower plant on the river Neretva, Bosnia and Herzegovina
December 18, 2023
The Ulog plant, with a 53-metre high dam, is currently being built on the upper Neretva in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the middle of a nominated candidate Emerald site – an area which should be protected under the Bern Convention.
Why the Bulgaria-Turkey gas deal could be a Russian Trojan horse
December 13, 2023
Promoted as a means to diversify gas sources, an agreement signed earlier this year by the Bulgarian government to import fossil gas from Turkey is only likely to provide a backdoor for Russian energy and undermine efforts to alleviate Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels
Crunch time for European development bank’s fossil fuel spending
December 12, 2023
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is set to decide the future of its energy investments right after the latest round of UN climate negotiations concludes this week. Its Executive Directors must heed the EU’s call for a fossil fuel subsidy phase-out
Gender-related issues in the urban mobility sector in the Canton of Sarajevo
December 5, 2023
Sarajevo transport system is dominated by private motor vehicles and marred by dissatisfaction. Heavy traffic during rush hours, issues with reliability of public transport and environmental concerns persist. Many of these issues disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including women, who often have distinct travel patterns and needs.
EU’s massive loan for Split: showdown between tourist paradise and residents’ needs
November 29, 2023
This summer was hot in the Croatian city of Split. Adding to the rising temperatures and usual tourist buzz was a heated political debate over a EUR 150 million framework loan approved by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the biggest loan to date for Split.
The EU and US are fossil-fooling the Western Balkans with gas How can the region cut to a clean future?
November 29, 2023
The Western Balkans’ energy transition is finally starting to pick up pace. But false solutions such as fossil gas threaten to divert resources and create new fossil-fuel lock-in. So why do the European Union (EU) and United States (US) continue to push such projects in the region and what can be done about it?
Western Balkans decarbonisation is urgent: but the EU enlargement package is still sending mixed signals
November 10, 2023
The European Commission’s annual reports on the Western Balkan countries’ EU accession progress vary considerably on decarbonisation, sending mixed messages on coal and especially gas. The EU needs to take a more consistent approach if the region is to achieve decarbonisation by 2050 at the latest.