Lessons from the ground: application of the ‘do no significant harm’ principle under the Recovery and Resilience Facility
December 20, 2023
This briefing outlines the key barriers preventing a more successful application of the ‘do no significant harm’ principle, based on ongoing experience under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and provides recommendations for improvement.
Following the money: Czech Republic
December 18, 2023
This briefing explores the Czech Territorial Just Transition Plan for three designated regions – Ústecký, Moravskoslezský, and Karlovarský – receiving funds from the Just Transition Fund.
A truly nature friendly investment – support for the development of Blooming meadows
December 18, 2023
This case study demonstrates a new pilot programme which is designed specifically to help these grasslands and the landowners managing them.
European development bank decides to keep cooking the planet
December 15, 2023
The board of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) decided yesterday, 14 December, to green-light a new energy lending policy that, with some caveats, allows for continued financing of fossil gas pipelines and gas-fired power plants.
Updating national energy and climate plans: signs of reluctance to phase out fossil fuels
December 14, 2023
Member States are currently updating their national energy and climate plans (NECPs) adopted in 2019, following the Energy Union governance regulation.
Paris alignment: why there is no more space for European public money to finance fossil fuels
December 14, 2023
The aim of this briefing is to lay out the latest scientific evidence on why there is no more space for fossil fuel investments if we aim to keep global temperature increases to below 1.5 °C by the end of the century.
Monitoring cohesion policy funds in central and eastern Europe
December 12, 2023
The purpose of this briefing is to provide an overview of the monitoring committees charged with overseeing programmes on the environment, climate and energy, and the just transition in eight countries in central and eastern Europe: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
New EIB President Nadia Calviño must put people’s needs first
December 8, 2023
The new European Investment Bank (EIB) President Nadia Calviño must tap into the Bank’s green and social potential. She should direct the EIB to mobilise its resources to meet the fundamental needs of people and to assist with transforming our society into one that’s ecological and sustainable.
Protecting the biodiversity of Estonia’s agricultural landscapes
December 6, 2023
The case study demonstrates some of the many ways EU funds can and should be used to support nature restoration and conservation projects. These are instrumental to address the biodiversity crisis across sectors.
New elections in Poland offer one last chance to solve the Oder River catastrophe
December 1, 2023
The Oder River, which forms the border between Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic, faced a severe environmental disaster in 2022. More than one year later, the river is in peril again. The decisions taken by the previous government have so far only exacerbated the situation. Now, a new government offers one last opportunity to show environmental stewardship and reverse the catastrophe.
