Comply or Close 2025: Seven years of deadly legal breaches by Western Balkan coal plants
June 17, 2025
The end of 2024 marked seven years since the deadline passed for power plants in the Western Balkans to meet new air pollution standards.
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
Where vested interests lie: An analysis of Kazakhstan’s coal, oil and gas industries
March 26, 2025
This study examines the practical steps Kazakhstan is taking to reduce the production of fossil fuels – specifically oil, gas and coal – in light of its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
The European Commission’s proposed Reform and Growth Facility for the Republic of Moldova
December 4, 2024
This briefing draws on the experience of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Western Balkans Reform and Growth Facility, approved earlier this year, to suggest improvements to the proposed Regulation.
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.
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.
Delays in Almaty CHP-2 gas project open new opportunities for a rethink
May 29, 2024
Supported by the EBRD, the conversion of Almaty’s coal heat and power plant CHP-2 to gas has been seriously delayed. This opens an opportunity for a rethink: Why is the EBRD continuing to support this project instead of funding a clean and potentially cheaper type of heating?
Air pollution in Ugljevik, Bosnia and Herzegovina
March 27, 2024
Ugljevik lignite-fired power plant, located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is notorious Europe-wide for its extremely high emissions of sulphur dioxide into the air. Despite the exceptionally high stack of the power plant, the town of Ugljevik is still suffering from serious air pollution.
Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition for Western Balkans and Ukraine: where we are and how to move forward
January 22, 2024
The Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition for Western Balkans and Ukraine platform builds on the experiences of the EU Initiative for coal regions in transition since 2017, with both initiatives contributing to implementing the European Green Deal.
