Activists call on EU to stop promoting fossil gas dependence in the Western Balkans
April 5, 2022
36 civil society organisations have today sent a joint letter to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling on the EU to stop promoting the use of fossil gas in the Western Balkans.
Bulgaria’s energy transition without Russian fossil gas and new nuclear capacity
April 4, 2022
It’s never been clearer that Bulgaria’s dependence on Russian energy needs to be cut right now.
Efficient district heating in CEE-countries
March 28, 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revealed Europe’s dependency on fossil fuels. The European Commission recently presented a Communication called Repower EU with the aim to make Europe independent from Russian fossil fuels well before 2030, starting with fossil gas. Energy efficiency measures that bring energy savings, like switching from inefficient to more efficient district heating networks that are based on exclusively renewable energy, are part of the solution and can structurally help solve EU dependency from energy imports.
Flagships or red flags? Risks of proposed flagship infrastructure projects under the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans
March 24, 2022
Under the European Commission’s October 2020 Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) is set to provide grants worth EUR 9 billion, with up to EUR 20 billion more in investments leveraged through the Western Balkans Guarantee Facility. Western Balkan governments have proposed projects for financing in ten Flagship areas for investment. The list of these proposed projects contains many which appear reasonable and much-needed, but many others are not in line with EU policy and/or legislation and must not be funded with EU money. This briefing provides an overview of selected projects that have been nominated by governments but which are not in line with EU policy and/or legislation.
Panorama – La Asociación Española del Gas valora muy positivamente el plan REPowerEU de la Comisión Europea – Energías Renovables, el periodismo de las energías limpias.
March 11, 2022
La Comisión Europea (CE) ha publicado esta semana la Comunicación REpowerEU (repotenciar la UE, acción conjunta europea para una energía …
Renewable Heat For All – A civil society manifesto for the future of heating and cooling in Europe – ECOS
February 24, 2022
Millions of people in Europe have struggled to heat their homes this winter due to the steep rise in gas and energy prices, while seven …
Five international eNGOs call on EU parliament to object to ‘outdated’ energy project guidelines
February 2, 2022
Five international eNGOs issued an urgent statement to call on EU parliament representatives to vote against the current list of EU …
Green NGOs tell MEPs that Malta pipeline funding should be refused
February 1, 2022
Greenpace, Friends of the Earth want EU funding to be limited to renewable energy projects and exclude Malta’s pipeline after it was …
Modernisation Fund to boost fossil fuels in Poland
January 21, 2022
Billions of euros earmarked for a green transformation and renewables may instead finance fossil gas and waste incineration. Fears are coming true that without transparent public oversight, the Modernisation Fund would become a pipeline for projects harmful to the climate and environment. The Polish example shows that investments banned from the Cohesion and recovery funds are moved to the Modernisation Fund.
New EU subsidies rules too lax to rule out support for damaging energy projects
January 13, 2022
This month, the new State aid Guidelines for climate, environmental protection and energy 2022 enter force. But with a surplus of loose formulations and flexible criteria, only with close public scrutiny can they support sustainable decarbonisation.
