Implementation of the Climate Investment Funds Accelerating Coal Transition Investment Plan for North Macedonia, with recommendations for 2026
December 19, 2025
This briefing takes a closer look at the Annual just transition implementation plan 2025 and gives several recommendations for the 2026 update.
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.
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.
Comply or Close 2025: Seven years of deadly legal breaches by Western Balkan coal plants
June 17, 2025
The end of 2024 marked seven years since the deadline passed for power plants in the Western Balkans to meet new air pollution standards.
Joint NGO statement: New EU budget must ensure dedicated funds for environmental protection and just transition in the Western Balkans
May 28, 2025
68 civil society organisations have today issued a joint statement calling on the EU to ensure dedicated funds for environmental protection and just transition of coal-dependent regions in the Western Balkans in the post-2027 EU budget.
Joint NGO statement on the future of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) in the post-2027 EU budget
May 28, 2025
This joint statement signed by 68 civil society organisations calls on the EU to ensure dedicated funds for environmental protection and just transition of coal-dependent regions in the Western Balkans
Concerns raised over new coal mining project in light of North Macedonia’s decarbonisation goals
May 27, 2025
CEE Bankwatch Network and Eko-svest have recently raised serious concerns regarding a proposed coal mining project in North Macedonia. The plan to open a new lignite mine in the Pelagonija region comes as a surprise, as the region is already affected by three other operating mines and the project contradicts the country’s coal phase-out commitments.
A well-designed national energy efficiency fund in North Macedonia will enable long-term energy savings in the residential and public sectors
December 20, 2024
National energy efficiency funds are widely recognised as a highly effective mechanism for boosting investment across all sectors. However, their success depends on careful design and implementation.
Western Balkans: Civil society groups call on European Commission to strengthen support for just transition
October 4, 2024
A group of civil society organisations, including CEE Bankwatch Network, are calling on the European Commission and other actors to step up support for a just transition in coal-dependent communities in the Western Balkans.
How to advance a just transition in the Western Balkans: Recommendations for the EU and national institutions
September 27, 2024
This briefing takes stock of the current situation with the decarbonisation of the Western Balkans’s economy and summarises the progress on just transition in each country.
