Renewable energy permitting in Bosnia and Herzegovina: how to optimise the process while safeguarding the environment and public participation
July 25, 2023
This analysis begins with an overview of the permits required for building renewable energy facilities in the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS).
Initial Comments on the Proposal for a Regulation on establishing the Ukraine Facility
July 21, 2023
Together with Ukrainian civil society organisations Ecoaction and Razom We Stand, Bankwatch sent initial comments to the European Parliament on the proposed regulation on Ukraine Facility. To foster green reconstruction and bring Ukraine closer towards EU membership, the civil society groups argue that the Facility must prioritise public participation and environmental sustainability.
National energy and climate plans: catalysts for the energy transition or box-ticking exercises?
June 30, 2023
The following report shows how seven central and eastern European (CEE) countries are approaching the NECP revision and details how the context has changed since the initial NECPs were prepared in 2018 and 2019.
Sustainable renewables incentives – how are the Western Balkans doing?
June 29, 2023
In the decade leading up to 2020, the Western Balkans’ energy transition got off to a poor start, with governments limiting wind and solar investments and instead incentivising a small hydropower boom, which has damaged pristine rivers and streams across the region.
Hydrogen in the EIB’s reviewed energy lending policy
June 28, 2023
As the EIB reviews its Energy Lending Policy, Bankwatch and 33 other civil society groups, sent a joint letter o EIB Vice Presidents, to voice our concern about the over-emphasis on hydrogen which risks, among others, diverting renewable energy capacity – existing and planned – from the electricity grid and into the production of hydrogen for sectors that might not be playing a significant role in the energy transition.
Comply or Close 2023: five years of deadly legal breaches by Western Balkan coal plants
June 28, 2023
The end of 2022 marked five years since new air pollution standards entered into force in the Western Balkans on 1 January 2018. Yet the deadly air pollution from the region’s mostly antiquated coal power plants has hardly decreased at all. In fact, in 2022 it increased compared to 2021 for all three regulated pollutants
Agriculture: priorities for sustainable investments to aid Ukraine’s recovery
June 20, 2023
In this issue paper, we argue that the recovery of the agricultural sector should not solely focus on production growth goals but also prioritise the long-term sustainability of Ukraine as it progresses towards EU membership.
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.
EBRD urban projects in Ukraine must drive national recovery efforts
June 19, 2023
A year and four months after the start of Russia’s large-scale war, Ukraine is on the verge of large-scale reconstruction. The country requires significant investments to reconstruct territorial communities in order to restore life, return residents, recover economic activity and respond to new challenges.
Ukraine’s reconstruction should prioritise a distributed, low-carbon energy system
June 16, 2023
Ukraine aims to transition to 100 per cent renewable energy sources and safely decommission its nuclear power plants by 2050. To achieve these goals, future investments in the energy sector must be underpinned by a policy of zero tolerance toward fossil fuels.
