Commission must apply spending rules to EU recovery funds before greenlighting national plans
June 17, 2021
The European Commission has released its first assessments of how Member States plan to spend from EUR 672 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility, and Bankwatch urges the Commission to ensure that commitments for spending on climate and biodiversity protection are met before the plans are approved.
Hungary’s recovery plan – not green, just, or resilient
June 2, 2021
Although the Hungarian recovery and resilience plan has undergone major changes since its first draft, it is still far from ensuring a green and just recovery. Despite MTVSZ / Friends of the Earth Hungary’s proposals, the final version leaves households alone in their efforts to improve energy efficiency and fails to propose easily-achievable biodiversity measures. If small modifications are made during the EU-level approval process, the plan could be improved considerably.
Billions of EU recovery money to support fossil fuels
May 31, 2021
Several EU states plan to use the EUR 672 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility to expand fossil gas infrastructure using loopholes in the fund’s regulations. These proposals do not comply with objectives of the European Green Deal and recent recommendations from the International Energy Agency to end funding for fossil fuels, warns CEE Bankwatch Network.
The role of gas in the recovery and resilience plans
May 31, 2021
This briefing analyses plans for gas investments in the recovery plans of eight central and eastern European countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia). It reveals that most contain gas investments,
Assessment of Hungary’s recovery and resilience plan
April 29, 2021
This briefing provides an overview of Hungary’s proposed measures (as of 1 April) for spending funds from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. Although Hungary’s draft recovery and resilience plan does not directly finance fossil fuels, it does n
Uneven progress towards green recovery as EU members submit spending plans to access EUR 672 billion fund
April 28, 2021
Brussels – EU Member States that opened up their spending plans for the EUR 672 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility have made the most progress towards the aims of the European Green Deal, finds a new assessment of eight countries in central and eastern Europe.
Assessment of Latvia’s recovery and resilience plan
April 28, 2021
This briefing provides an overview of Latvia’s proposed measures (as of 27 April) for spending funds from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. Although it contains many green measures, Latvia’s recovery and resilience plan is a more a list of pro
Assessment of Romania’s recovery and resilience plan
April 26, 2021
This briefing provides an overview of Romania’s proposed measures (as of 7 April) for spending funds from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. Despite public consultations on the latest version of the plan, there is no information available on ho
Assessment of Poland’s recovery and resilience plan
April 22, 2021
This briefing provides an overview of Poland’s proposed measures (as of 21 April) for spending funds from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. A draft of the Polish recovery plan was published in late February, after non-governmental organisation
Estonia’s EU recovery fund measures are promising yet potentially obstructive
April 20, 2021
Estonia has good intentions to use the recovery fund to become more resilient while supporting the green transition. However, these intentions are overshadowed by uncertainty and lack of scrutiny, as there is no publicly available strategic framework to bring all of the plan’s measures together, and many measures proposed could in fact undermine the European Green Deal.