No recovery without citizens: why public involvement is key to Europe’s green transformation
June 20, 2023
The report has been written in the frame of the Citizens Observatory for Green Deal Financing project. It brings together the direct experience of nine different civil society organisations and includes seven individual case studies providing information from the ground.
Activists call on EU to better protect nature from energy infrastructure in the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova
March 14, 2023
60 civil society organisations have sent a joint letter to the EU Commissioner for Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius, calling on the EU to better protect nature during energy infrastructure development under the Energy Community Treaty (1).
Successful renewables acceleration needs more public participation, not less
February 27, 2023
In December 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted an emergency regulation aimed at speeding up renewable energy deployment. But Member States have to uphold environmental safeguards and consult the public if they don’t want to end up doing the opposite, warns our new position paper.
Position paper for EU Member States on applying Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2577 to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy
February 27, 2023
Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2577 of 22 December 2022 rightly aims to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy. But although it contains some useful provisions, it raises serious concerns about the legal basis used for its adoption, the extent to
Biodiversity on the brink: What’s holding back financing for nature in the EU?
February 7, 2023
This report provides insights into a number of significant barriers at the national level to financing nature restoration and conservation measures, such as authorities’ lack of knowledge about what constitutes biodiversity, insufficient collaboration between actors and excessively restrictive funding criteria. It also includes recommendations for both the EU and national levels.
Romanian decision-makers try to misuse REPowerEU funds for illegal hydropower plants
November 30, 2022
This briefing describes how Romania’s Parliament and Government are again pushing to legalise illegal hydropower projects in protected areas using new opportunities for funding under the REPowerEU chapter of the EU recovery fund. It shows how a new dra
Romanian decision-makers attempt misuse of REPowerEU funds for illegal hydropower plants
November 30, 2022
Romania’s Government plans to use funds allocated under the REPowerEU package to build nine hydropower projects in protected natural areas, Bankwatch Romania has warned the European Commission today.
欧盟为可再生能源紧急开“绿灯”
November 28, 2022
… 欧盟为可再生能源紧急开“绿灯” …
Solar, wind industry worried about ‘daft’ EU permitting rules
November 18, 2022
New emergency permitting rules tabled by the European Commission just over a week ago would concern only “new” renewable energy projects …
Renewables automatically of ‘overriding public interest’ – a counterproductive attack on EU nature legislation
November 14, 2022
This briefing analyses the Commission’s proposal to declare renewables as automatically being of ‘overriding public interest’ in the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive under the REPowerEU legislative proposal. New rules would seriously undermin
