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.
Western Balkans: coal pollution increases due to government failures – new report
September 17, 2024
In 2023, Western Balkan governments’ dereliction of their law enforcement duties again allowed an increase in sulphur dioxide (SO2) pollution from the region’s antiquated coal power plants, according to the sixth edition of Bankwatch’s Comply or Close report, published today (1). Dust and nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution from coal plants also continued to exceed legal limits.
Comply or Close 2024: six years of deadly legal breaches by Western Balkan coal plants
September 17, 2024
The end of 2023 marked six years since the deadline passed for power plants in the Western Balkans to meet new air pollution standards. Yet the deadly air pollution from the region’s mostly antiquated coal power plants has hardly decreased at all since 2018.
From quantity to quality: how to improve the infrastructure project selection process under the Western Balkans Investment Framework
August 29, 2024
The Western Balkans Investment Framework provides finance and technical assistance for investments, particularly in infrastructure, energy efficiency and private sector development.
Environmental NGOs demand halt to KfW controversial biomass investments in Serbia
July 29, 2024
41 environmental organisations from the Western Balkans, Germany, and across Europe have called on German state-owned development bank KfW to stop financing wood biomass energy in Serbia in order to avoid forest degradation risks and locking Serbia into further dependency on high-carbon energy sources.[1]
A race to the top: Western Balkans 2024
July 16, 2024
A report by Global Energy Monitor, CEE Bankwatch Network and REScoop.eu reveals the Western Balkans have more than 23 GW of proposed utility-scale solar and wind projects—almost 70 per cent more than a year ago.
