Blogs

The United States and Syria stand alone. With the recent adoption by Nicaragua of the Paris climate agreement, only those two countries appear to ignore the global imperative of phasing out fossil fuels if the world is to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

Within the EU, the acknowledgment of the need to phase out fossil fuel subsidies as a key part of the global effort to stem climate change has materialised in multiple policy decisions including the Europe 2020 Strategy and the recent EU 2030 Energy and Climate governance framework.

As the Georgian government moves ahead with its plans for increasing the country’s hydropower capacity, local communities are being sidelined in the process of compensation payments.

The controversial Ukrainian agribusiness giant Myronivsky Hliboproduct (MHP) tries to handle community relations by putting publicity spin on the outcomes of a long overdue discussion with civil society.

It’s been a hot summer all over the Balkans. A heatwave called Lucifer struck Albania, drying up its river and causing numerous forest fires. Since Albania relies 90% on hydropower for its electricity, the drought resulted in a significant drop in production, forcing Albania to import 80 percent of it electricity.

With crude manipulations, the Bulgarian government is trying to push through a contended motorway route that would damage the country’s biodiversity hotspot in breach of EU law and international conventions. It expects that the European Commission will sit, watch and pay for it.

An assessment of livelihoods of people to be affected by the Nenskra hydropower plant in Georgia contains mistakes that will lead to significant losses for locals.

Despite the remote location, the culture festival We Are Svaneti brought together people from three continents and helped young Svans to become aware of their communities’ unique traditions.

As a civil society organisation operating across central and eastern Europe, Bankwatch views its role as a watchdog on how effectively the EU funds are being spent in our countries seriously – with billions of euros on the line, we need to ensure that spending decisions are taken democratically, with transparency to the fore and with stakeholders having a real say in how scarce public investment money is being deployed.

New EU rules entering into force today, to limit pollution from power plants, will also apply in most Western Balkan countries. But the region’s governments are so far acting like they don’t exist.

With new legislation, Bulgaria’s government is trying to limit inconvenient civil engagement in projects it deems strategic.