EU Funds to the rescue in Krakow – Local campaign leading the way for Polish communities sick of (and sick from) coal
October 21, 2013
The likely allocation of EU funds is set to bring about a breakthrough success for a popular and dearly needed campaign for better air quality in Krakow, Poland.
Charts: Financial allocations for Cohesion Policy
August 29, 2013
Cohesion Policy decisions are heating up at national level while financial allocations for the period 2014-2020 have been published this week.
All at SEA – key assessment of EU funds programmes in Latvia fails to address environmental concerns, opportunities
August 15, 2013
There is a big long list of technical jargon attached to the programming documents of the EU funds for the 2014-2020 funding period – enough to fill an entire blog post on its own. But you will be relieved to read that, in the context of Latvia’s ongoing negotiations as to how we will spend our future EU budget money, I will focus on only one of these items. It may be a bit of a mouthful, but it is what it says it is – only in Latvia, as environmental NGOs are discovering, what should be a safeguard for the environment appears to have gone missing.
Democratising Cohesion Policy – Slovakia not ready to put EU funds spending in citizens’ hands
July 10, 2013
With today’s approval of the watered down proposals to reform EU Structural Funds in the European Parliament’s committee for regional development (see our press release), EU decision makers have taken a step away from ambitious environmental spending in the future Cohesion Policy. At the same time also national level allocation of the 2014-2020 funds is starting to take shape. But efforts to get the funds working sustainably for, and on behalf of, needy local communities are being thwarted in Slovakia – for a range of all too familiar reasons.
Is the Latvian success story over? Good public participation practices in EU funds planning in Latvia turns sour
July 8, 2013
So far the planning for Latvia’s use of the EU funds for the 2014-2020 period has been a reasonably positive experience from a partnership perspective. Yet the process that has, until recently, been notable for its transparency and high level of public participation is now in danger of being derailed.
Green agriculture spending culled in Estonia – NGOs demand proper use of future EU money
June 26, 2013
While the EU’s future common agricultural policy is taking shape in Brussels, it’s not just there that major agri-business interests are flexing their muscles to take the ‘green-ness’ out of EU agricultural spending.
EU funds in people’s hands. When small things make a difference.
June 17, 2013
A Croation winner of Bankwatch’s Better Ideas contest for sustainable EU Funds has just begun implementing their project. The positive responses from their community and the successful start illustrate that “small is beautiful” can also apply to Cohesion Policy.
Energy efficiency becoming more central to future EU spending in the Czech Republic – thanks to NGO calls
May 21, 2013
Energy efficiency has now become a priority for EU funding in the Czech Republic for the forthcoming 2014-2020 budgetary period.
No time to waste – Cohesion Funds for a resource-efficient Europe
March 27, 2013
This study offers evidence and guidelines for the development of sustainable Operational Programmes in EU Member States in the waste management sector, the sector where most countries in central and eastern Europe seriously lag behind EU standards and achievements. As a policy analysis it tries to directly link the European Waste Framework Directive and the new Cohesion Policy Regulation by understanding the Resource Efficient Europe Initiative.
Funding sustainable development in European regions – Recommendations for the programming of EU funds in 10 CEE countries
February 28, 2013
This publication, prepared in close cooperation with national NGO coalitions and the support from external experts, aims to contribute to the elaboration of Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes by proposing concrete measures to be financed, targets to be set, performance indicators to be applied and investment needs to be met – all with a focus on a policy that can foster sustainable development and catalyse the transformation to a low energy-consuming, renewable-based and resource efficient society. Download individual sections >>
