When Nature Shows the Way: supporting biodiversity for Europe’s green recovery
July 14, 2021
Biodiversity loss and climate change are the biggest environmental threats we face today. To address such crises, the EU has set in place a series of climate and environmental objectives as part of the European Green Deal. However, in order to achieve
Concern for irrigation, drainage and other water management measures in national recovery and resilience plans
July 14, 2021
The briefing outlines proposals for widespread irrigation and water management measures within six central and eastern European recovery plans and explains why these measures will likely be damaging to biodiversity. These include the development of int
Energy efficiency and renewables in buildings in national recovery and resilience plans
July 14, 2021
Investments in building renovations can significantly contribute to reaching the EU’s 2030 energy and climate objectives. The Recovery and Resilience Facility presents an opportunity to help meet those funding needs, given the 37 per cent climate targe
Estonia barely scratches the surface on green recovery
June 30, 2021
Estonia’s recovery and resilience plan was one of the last to be submitted to the European Commission. Yet despite the extra time it took authorities to develop, the plan is based on an incomplete vision of a green recovery which completely ignores the issues of biodiversity and nature protection.
Commission must apply spending rules to EU recovery funds before greenlighting national plans
June 17, 2021
The European Commission has released its first assessments of how Member States plan to spend from EUR 672 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility, and Bankwatch urges the Commission to ensure that commitments for spending on climate and biodiversity protection are met before the plans are approved.
Hungary’s recovery plan – not green, just, or resilient
June 2, 2021
Although the Hungarian recovery and resilience plan has undergone major changes since its first draft, it is still far from ensuring a green and just recovery. Despite MTVSZ / Friends of the Earth Hungary’s proposals, the final version leaves households alone in their efforts to improve energy efficiency and fails to propose easily-achievable biodiversity measures. If small modifications are made during the EU-level approval process, the plan could be improved considerably.
Billions of EU recovery money to support fossil fuels
May 31, 2021
Several EU states plan to use the EUR 672 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility to expand fossil gas infrastructure using loopholes in the fund’s regulations. These proposals do not comply with objectives of the European Green Deal and recent recommendations from the International Energy Agency to end funding for fossil fuels, warns CEE Bankwatch Network.
The role of gas in the recovery and resilience plans
May 31, 2021
This briefing analyses plans for gas investments in the recovery plans of eight central and eastern European countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia). It reveals that most contain gas investments,
Building back biodiversity: How EU Member States fail to spend the recovery fund for nature
May 20, 2021
This report brings together assessments of the national recovery and resilience plans of ten central and eastern European (CEE) countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia). It outli
Assessment of the Czech Republic’s recovery and resilience plan
May 7, 2021
This briefing provides an overview of the Czech Republic’s proposed measures (as of 9 April) for spending funds from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. The Czech recovery plan includes a number of measures supporting the energy efficiency and d
