@pippagallop.bsky.social
Promoting sustainable energy transition in southeast Europe at CEE Bankwatch Network
Reposted
Secrecy Tracker: The EU’s plan to classify (almost) everything
Secrecy Tracker: The EU’s plan to classify (almost) everything
The latest Secrecy Tracker warns that a proposed EU law could restrict public access to documents, while also covering controversies over EU transparency in Gaza, preservation of von der Leyen’s emails, and attempts to weaken the Aarhus Convention, highlighting growing threats to accountability and democratic oversight.
euobserver.com
December 9, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Secrecy Tracker: The EU’s plan to classify (almost) everything
Among the European Commission initiatives set to be launched tomorrow, 10 December, is the so-called Grids Package.
Despite its harmless-sounding name, it's yet another needless threat to the ecosystems we all depend on. This manic deregulation drive has to stop!
bankwatch.org/press_releas...
Despite its harmless-sounding name, it's yet another needless threat to the ecosystems we all depend on. This manic deregulation drive has to stop!
bankwatch.org/press_releas...
Another needless threat to the ecosystems we all depend on: The Commission’s panicky, chaotic deregulation drive has to stop - Bankwatch
Among the slew of European Commission initiatives set to be launched on Wednesday 10 December is the so-called Grids Package, leaked to several media outlets last week.
bankwatch.org
December 9, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Among the European Commission initiatives set to be launched tomorrow, 10 December, is the so-called Grids Package.
Despite its harmless-sounding name, it's yet another needless threat to the ecosystems we all depend on. This manic deregulation drive has to stop!
bankwatch.org/press_releas...
Despite its harmless-sounding name, it's yet another needless threat to the ecosystems we all depend on. This manic deregulation drive has to stop!
bankwatch.org/press_releas...
Reposted
1/ Our new analysis shows the EU’s Reform and Growth Facility is not yet speeding up the energy transition in the Western Balkans. Only Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia have made any progress. With EUR 750 million at stake for energy reforms, the EU and governments must speed up.
December 5, 2025 at 7:27 AM
1/ Our new analysis shows the EU’s Reform and Growth Facility is not yet speeding up the energy transition in the Western Balkans. Only Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia have made any progress. With EUR 750 million at stake for energy reforms, the EU and governments must speed up.
Reposted
1/❗It’s time to complete the nature safeguards of the Energy Community Treaty!
Environmental rules must match EU standards to ensure fair competition and protect nature.
Environmental rules must match EU standards to ensure fair competition and protect nature.
December 3, 2025 at 9:36 AM
1/❗It’s time to complete the nature safeguards of the Energy Community Treaty!
Environmental rules must match EU standards to ensure fair competition and protect nature.
Environmental rules must match EU standards to ensure fair competition and protect nature.
Reposted
The Dogeization of Europe: the plan to 'rollback' the EU's own institutions
The Dogeization of Europe: the plan to 'rollback' the EU's own institutions
What distinguishes the current review is its conceptual ambition — floating the idea of ending lifelong civil-service status for new hires, a move that, if extended to the whole institution, would signal a shift from a permanent, independent bureaucracy to a flexible, temporary workforce aligned with shifting political priorities, warns Alberto Alemanno.
euobserver.com
December 2, 2025 at 7:46 PM
The Dogeization of Europe: the plan to 'rollback' the EU's own institutions
Reposted
Dismantling environmental democracy: the EU Commission’s playbook
Dismantling environmental democracy: the EU Commission’s playbook
The pioneering Aarhus Convention protects three procedural rights — access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters — in pursuit environmental democracy. Last week the EU Commission tried to undermine and weaken it.
euobserver.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Dismantling environmental democracy: the EU Commission’s playbook
Reposted
While Western Balkan governments scramble to solve their energy and waste crises by turning to incineration, a clear lesson is emerging from the EU: burning waste is a dead end. 🔥 What are the lessons learned for the Western Balkans?
Sofia’s burned lesson: bankwatch.org/blog/sofia-s...
Sofia’s burned lesson: bankwatch.org/blog/sofia-s...
November 25, 2025 at 1:40 PM
While Western Balkan governments scramble to solve their energy and waste crises by turning to incineration, a clear lesson is emerging from the EU: burning waste is a dead end. 🔥 What are the lessons learned for the Western Balkans?
Sofia’s burned lesson: bankwatch.org/blog/sofia-s...
Sofia’s burned lesson: bankwatch.org/blog/sofia-s...
Reposted
Deregulation plans break EU law, legal scholars warn
Deregulation plans break EU law, legal scholars warn
Over one hundred legal experts have warned that the EU’s Omnibus I package, which cuts green and social reporting rules, breached EU law and was "likely to be annulled" if adopted.
euobserver.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Deregulation plans break EU law, legal scholars warn
Reposted
1/ In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Upper Horizons hydropower complex is reshaping the landscape and threatening the rivers Buna, Bunica and Bregava, as well as Hutovo Blato and the Neretva Delta. 🌊
November 7, 2025 at 10:07 AM
1/ In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Upper Horizons hydropower complex is reshaping the landscape and threatening the rivers Buna, Bunica and Bregava, as well as Hutovo Blato and the Neretva Delta. 🌊
Reposted
5 years into the EU's Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, it’s had limited results on the ground. With a new Action Plan endorsed in Oct., our blog examines whether civil society proposals were taken into account, and whether the revised plan can inject new dynamism. bankwatch.org/blog/with-a-...
November 6, 2025 at 12:33 PM
5 years into the EU's Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, it’s had limited results on the ground. With a new Action Plan endorsed in Oct., our blog examines whether civil society proposals were taken into account, and whether the revised plan can inject new dynamism. bankwatch.org/blog/with-a-...
Reposted
1/ Europe’s nature is in crisis.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 promised to put nature on the road to recovery. But halfway through, it’s clear: we’re off track.
❌ No increase in protected land and sea areas since 2021
1/2
The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 promised to put nature on the road to recovery. But halfway through, it’s clear: we’re off track.
❌ No increase in protected land and sea areas since 2021
1/2
November 6, 2025 at 10:40 AM
1/ Europe’s nature is in crisis.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 promised to put nature on the road to recovery. But halfway through, it’s clear: we’re off track.
❌ No increase in protected land and sea areas since 2021
1/2
The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 promised to put nature on the road to recovery. But halfway through, it’s clear: we’re off track.
❌ No increase in protected land and sea areas since 2021
1/2
Reposted
From 1 January 2026 – in just two months’ time – the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will take full effect.
Will it help drive a sustainable and just energy transition in the Western Balkans, or result in a perfect storm?
Find out more: bankwatch.org/wp-content/u...
Will it help drive a sustainable and just energy transition in the Western Balkans, or result in a perfect storm?
Find out more: bankwatch.org/wp-content/u...
October 30, 2025 at 8:58 AM
From 1 January 2026 – in just two months’ time – the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will take full effect.
Will it help drive a sustainable and just energy transition in the Western Balkans, or result in a perfect storm?
Find out more: bankwatch.org/wp-content/u...
Will it help drive a sustainable and just energy transition in the Western Balkans, or result in a perfect storm?
Find out more: bankwatch.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted
🚨Hydrogen-hype klaxon!
Dozens of fossil gas-based hydrogen projects could soon receive EU priority status, threatening to derail Europe’s energy transition.
Read a new open letter from 34 civil society groups on the next Projects of Common Interest list: bankwatch.org/publication/...
Dozens of fossil gas-based hydrogen projects could soon receive EU priority status, threatening to derail Europe’s energy transition.
Read a new open letter from 34 civil society groups on the next Projects of Common Interest list: bankwatch.org/publication/...
October 23, 2025 at 12:31 PM
🚨Hydrogen-hype klaxon!
Dozens of fossil gas-based hydrogen projects could soon receive EU priority status, threatening to derail Europe’s energy transition.
Read a new open letter from 34 civil society groups on the next Projects of Common Interest list: bankwatch.org/publication/...
Dozens of fossil gas-based hydrogen projects could soon receive EU priority status, threatening to derail Europe’s energy transition.
Read a new open letter from 34 civil society groups on the next Projects of Common Interest list: bankwatch.org/publication/...
Reposted
As the Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit begins in London, 67 CSOs have shared feedback about the 2025 process.
Time to move beyond symbolic participation and strengthen civil society’s role.
How? 📖 bankwatch.org/wp-content/u...
Time to move beyond symbolic participation and strengthen civil society’s role.
How? 📖 bankwatch.org/wp-content/u...
October 22, 2025 at 12:03 PM
As the Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit begins in London, 67 CSOs have shared feedback about the 2025 process.
Time to move beyond symbolic participation and strengthen civil society’s role.
How? 📖 bankwatch.org/wp-content/u...
Time to move beyond symbolic participation and strengthen civil society’s role.
How? 📖 bankwatch.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted
The Buk Bijela dam on the upper Drina raises major environmental, legal & financial red flags. Closed bids from Chinese firms and a flawed EIA put the river’s future at risk. It’s a risky project putting profits over nature.
📢 Stop Buk Bijela! bankwatch.org/stopbu...
📢 Stop Buk Bijela! bankwatch.org/stopbu...
October 22, 2025 at 10:01 AM
The Buk Bijela dam on the upper Drina raises major environmental, legal & financial red flags. Closed bids from Chinese firms and a flawed EIA put the river’s future at risk. It’s a risky project putting profits over nature.
📢 Stop Buk Bijela! bankwatch.org/stopbu...
📢 Stop Buk Bijela! bankwatch.org/stopbu...
Ugly developments in Romania... the @ec.europa.eu needs to act quickly on this.
bankwatch.org/blog/romania...
bankwatch.org/blog/romania...
Romania’s Parliament paves the way for environmental destruction and ‘foreign agent’ repression - Bankwatch
Romania stands at a dangerous crossroads. Last week, a law initiated by the senator Daniel Zamfir in 2022 and already then rejected by the Senate, passed by a crushing majority (262–33) in the decisiv...
bankwatch.org
October 20, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Ugly developments in Romania... the @ec.europa.eu needs to act quickly on this.
bankwatch.org/blog/romania...
bankwatch.org/blog/romania...
Reposted
Researchers say decline in phytoplankton suggests weakened planetary capacity to absorb carbon dioxide 👇
#ClimateChange
#ClimateChange
World’s oceans losing their greenness through global heating, study finds
Researchers say decline in phytoplankton suggests weakened planetary capacity to absorb carbon dioxide
www.theguardian.com
October 20, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Researchers say decline in phytoplankton suggests weakened planetary capacity to absorb carbon dioxide 👇
#ClimateChange
#ClimateChange
Reposted
🚫 #StopBukBijela – protect the Drina & Piva rivers! Despite legal challenges, Republika Srpska is pushing ahead with the Buk Bijela dam, Montenegro – with Kruševo. No dams on the upper Drina! 🔗 bankwatch.org/stopbukbijela
Footage: Ante Gugić, moremedia.hr, Robert Oroz
Footage: Ante Gugić, moremedia.hr, Robert Oroz
October 15, 2025 at 10:36 AM
🚫 #StopBukBijela – protect the Drina & Piva rivers! Despite legal challenges, Republika Srpska is pushing ahead with the Buk Bijela dam, Montenegro – with Kruševo. No dams on the upper Drina! 🔗 bankwatch.org/stopbukbijela
Footage: Ante Gugić, moremedia.hr, Robert Oroz
Footage: Ante Gugić, moremedia.hr, Robert Oroz
Reposted
In July, the European Commission published a proposal for a new post 2027 EU budget.
🚨 Nature is left behind with no dedicated fund and no biodiversity targets.
🔍 Read more about gaps in the next EU budget: bankwatch.org/publication/...
🚨 Nature is left behind with no dedicated fund and no biodiversity targets.
🔍 Read more about gaps in the next EU budget: bankwatch.org/publication/...
October 14, 2025 at 8:17 AM
In July, the European Commission published a proposal for a new post 2027 EU budget.
🚨 Nature is left behind with no dedicated fund and no biodiversity targets.
🔍 Read more about gaps in the next EU budget: bankwatch.org/publication/...
🚨 Nature is left behind with no dedicated fund and no biodiversity targets.
🔍 Read more about gaps in the next EU budget: bankwatch.org/publication/...
Reposted
1/2 The revised Green Agenda Action Plan is expected to be adopted or endorsed at the Dubrovnik Summit this week, on 14 to 15 October.
But in spite of repeated promises, no public consultation has been held on the Plan.
But in spite of repeated promises, no public consultation has been held on the Plan.
October 13, 2025 at 10:21 AM
1/2 The revised Green Agenda Action Plan is expected to be adopted or endorsed at the Dubrovnik Summit this week, on 14 to 15 October.
But in spite of repeated promises, no public consultation has been held on the Plan.
But in spite of repeated promises, no public consultation has been held on the Plan.
Reposted
1/🌿 The Emerald Network is a vital ecological network of protected areas across Europe – helping to safeguard threatened species and natural habitats.
October 9, 2025 at 11:55 AM
1/🌿 The Emerald Network is a vital ecological network of protected areas across Europe – helping to safeguard threatened species and natural habitats.
Reposted
🚫 Stop Buk Bijela! One of 14 dams planned on the Drina, it threatens the Danube salmon 🐟 and rafting tourism 🚣♂️. Despite legal violations, the project is moving ahead with a flawed environmental assessment. No dams on the upper Drina!
🔗 bankwatch.org/stopbu...
🔗 bankwatch.org/stopbu...
October 8, 2025 at 10:01 AM
🚫 Stop Buk Bijela! One of 14 dams planned on the Drina, it threatens the Danube salmon 🐟 and rafting tourism 🚣♂️. Despite legal violations, the project is moving ahead with a flawed environmental assessment. No dams on the upper Drina!
🔗 bankwatch.org/stopbu...
🔗 bankwatch.org/stopbu...
Reposted
🏡 On this first ever #WorldVacantHomesDay, we highlight one of the biggest contradictions of our time: too many homes without people, too many people without homes.
🇪🇺 EU countries must prioritise renovating & reallocating vacant houses for social housing.
🇪🇺 EU countries must prioritise renovating & reallocating vacant houses for social housing.
October 8, 2025 at 8:01 AM
🏡 On this first ever #WorldVacantHomesDay, we highlight one of the biggest contradictions of our time: too many homes without people, too many people without homes.
🇪🇺 EU countries must prioritise renovating & reallocating vacant houses for social housing.
🇪🇺 EU countries must prioritise renovating & reallocating vacant houses for social housing.
Reposted
"Von der Leyen has become the face of EU surrender, of a union powerless in the face of ever-growing global threats. It is an ironic position to be in for someone so obsessed with amassing power within the institution she controls"
My IPQ profile of VDL: ip-quarterly.com/en/ursula-vo...
My IPQ profile of VDL: ip-quarterly.com/en/ursula-vo...
Ursula von der Leyen: Queen in the Commission, Servant in the Council
A year into her second term, the European Commission’s notoriously controlling president is attracting criticism for neutering her college of commissioners while blindly following the EU’s 27 national...
ip-quarterly.com
October 4, 2025 at 9:19 AM
"Von der Leyen has become the face of EU surrender, of a union powerless in the face of ever-growing global threats. It is an ironic position to be in for someone so obsessed with amassing power within the institution she controls"
My IPQ profile of VDL: ip-quarterly.com/en/ursula-vo...
My IPQ profile of VDL: ip-quarterly.com/en/ursula-vo...
Reposted
🔋 The Western Balkans have a rare chance to leapfrog fossil gas and build a clean energy system.
🔥 Yet EUR 3.5 billion in gas infrastructure is still being planned, which would lock the region into decades of dependence, pollution and financial risk.
Read more: euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...
🔥 Yet EUR 3.5 billion in gas infrastructure is still being planned, which would lock the region into decades of dependence, pollution and financial risk.
Read more: euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...
Why are Western Balkans ignoring renewables and locking themselves into gas?
The Western Balkans are being nudged from one fossil-fuel trap (coal) into another (gas). Why?
euobserver.com
October 3, 2025 at 11:01 AM
🔋 The Western Balkans have a rare chance to leapfrog fossil gas and build a clean energy system.
🔥 Yet EUR 3.5 billion in gas infrastructure is still being planned, which would lock the region into decades of dependence, pollution and financial risk.
Read more: euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...
🔥 Yet EUR 3.5 billion in gas infrastructure is still being planned, which would lock the region into decades of dependence, pollution and financial risk.
Read more: euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...