Europe cannot be “REPowered” if citizens are not at the centre of the transition
November 4, 2022
The REPowerEU plan aims to protect EU citizens from the heavy consequences of the energy crisis, but such a goal cannot be achieved unless civil society has a voice in the discussions. With this in mind, REPowerEU does not look very promising.
Raport: Krajowe Plany Odbudowy nie takie znowu zielone
July 11, 2022
Niektóre projekty zgłoszone przez państwa członkowskie UE w ramach KPO mogą zostać zrealizowane kosztem środowiska – wskazują organizacje …
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.
Progress with EU recovery fund hampered by fossil fuels investments and threats to nature
February 3, 2022
Brussels – Genuine efforts by Member States to direct spending from the EUR 672 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility towards climate action are being undermined by investments that are likely to harm the environment and climate, finds a new report by CAN Europe and CEE Bankwatch Network.
In Bulgaria, a cautionary tale for the energy transition as country abandons coal to gas switch
January 21, 2022
In 2021, the Bulgarian (interim) government announced that it had decided to transform the huge Maritza Iztok 2 coal-fired power plant into a steam-gas plant – (to replace 1.4 GW of coal capacity with a minimum of 1 GW of gas). The government has sought funding from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Modernisation Fund and other unnamed private sources.
Nature ignored in European recovery funding, say campaign groups
March 18, 2021
Member States plan pitiful amounts of spending from the €672 billion Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to protect and preserve nature, in spite of EU requirements and the generally poor state of biodiversity across the continent, say civil society groups ahead of Thursday’s meeting of European environmental ministers.
More of the same secrecy in Latvia and Romania as EU recovery funds planning gets underway
March 10, 2021
National Recovery and Resilience Plans have to be submitted to the European Commission by 30 April, 2021. Yet less than two months before the deadline, the latest updates from the Romanian and Latvian recovery plans raise alarm on public participation and on unambitious climate and energy targets.
EU Recovery funds: where is the support for District Heating?
March 5, 2021
District Heating is an efficient way to heat homes, particularly in a country like Latvia where 58% of its primary energy consumption is used for heating. But Selīna Vancāne at Riga City Council is very concerned that the draft EU Recovery plans do not include any support under the climate goals for district heating projects. Perhaps it’s because of a blind spot: most of Europe is prioritising individual heating units powered by electricity. Meanwhile, Latvia is tacking the issue of fuel sources for district heating. There’s gas (not clean, must be imported from Russia), woodchips (plenty of local supply, but has sustainability limits), and much better solutions like solar. Vancāne offers the case study of Salaspils Siltums, built in 6 months, which provides solar district heating to 85% of a town of 18,000 people. She urges the EU to fund both district heating and the new clean solutions it can use. The results can be cost effective, sustainable, efficient and curb emissions.
Poland’s recovery planning lacks public consultation and transparency
February 10, 2021
With EUR 57 billion at stake, a letter from environmental CSOs urges the Polish Prime Minister to open the planning process for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) to the public.
