Applying best practices from EU funds to the reconstruction of Ukraine
December 20, 2022
This briefing reviews lessons from EU funds such as cohesion policy funding and the Recovery and Resilience Facility for ensuring Ukraine’s reconstruction is financed in a way that ensures participation and green, sustainable outcomes.
Western Balkans: EUR 1 billion in EU funds to tackle the energy crisis – with gas?!
November 7, 2022
At last week’s Berlin Process Summit, President von der Leyen announced an energy support package of EUR 1 billion in grants to help the Western Balkans address the immediate consequences of the energy crisis. But will it end up being blown on pointless gas infrastructure?
Biodiversity on the brink: what’s holding back financing for nature?
October 5, 2022
Simply put, the significant potential of EU funding is not being used for nature, and this must change.
It’s time for the European Commission to act and protect the Kresna Gorge biodiversity sanctuary
September 16, 2022
After years of trying to use EU funds to build a motorway through a Natura 2000 zone, Bulgaria now has a chance to spend EU money to counter the increasing traffic in Kresna Gorge and protect its biodiversity.
EU investments: voice of the public must be heard!
June 16, 2022
Member States are currently making important investment decisions to address the multitude of crises we are facing. This money has the potential to transform our economy, yet the challenges to ensure it meets this potential are high. The EU’s unprecedented COVID-19 recovery package should be spent wisely and in a transparent manner. Yet it is for the moment far from open, and it is unlikely this will change any time soon.
On the (long) road to recovery: Poland’s plan greenlit
June 14, 2022
Poland’s recovery plan has finally been endorsed by the Commission after over a year of negotiations. Despite multiple declarations from government officials that talks would finish quickly, the plan worth EUR 35 billion was put on hold for an extended period of time because of the Commission’s concerns about the rule of law in the country. Is Poland’s recovery plan a wasted opportunity? Not necessarily, but it is not a fully-used one, either.
A step in the right direction: Bulgaria’s recovery plan improved after lengthy negotiations
April 28, 2022
After one year of negotiations, at the beginning of April, the European Commission finally endorsed the sixth and final version of Bulgaria’s recovery plan. According to the Commission, nearly 60 per cent of the projects included in the plan support the green transition of the country, which is the highest percentage among all the recovery plans approved so far.
Umweltverbände warnen vor Naturzerstörung mit EU-Hilfen
April 21, 2022
Brüssel – EU-Hilfen zur Linderung der sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Folgen der Coronapandemie fließen wohl teilweise in umweltschädliche …
Umweltverbände warnen vor Naturzerstörung mit EU-Hilfen
April 21, 2022
Brüssel – EU-Hilfen zur Linderung der sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Folgen der Coronapandemie fließen wohl teilweise in umweltschädliche …
How to win energy sovereignty and avoid a gas trap in Poland
April 11, 2022
Poland’s energy policy has to change urgently in the face of the war in Ukraine. EU funds must finance Poland’s transformation for energy security and sustainability. There is no return to the business as usual when it comes to energy policy.
