Joint civil society statement: As the latest fossil fuel crisis starts to bite, Western Balkan governments must avoid further gas addiction and leapfrog to a renewable future!

Advocacy letter    |    27 April 2026

For the second time this decade, Europe is in an oil and gas crisis, once again highlighting the danger of dependence on imported fossil fuels. The diversification strategy promoted by the EU for decades has shown its limits, and the inherent vulnerability to market disruptions and price hikes remains. As a result, the EU has rightly identified that the solution to the crisis is to wean itself off of fossil fuels, and to push forward with electrification and renewables.

47 civil society organisations have today called on Western Balkan governments to resist pressure from the United States and cancel plans to build new gas pipelines and power plants. In a joint statement, the groups warn that far from merely replacing Russian gas, the plans would massively increase the region’s gas consumption and its dependence on imported fossil fuels.