This project is completed. It aimed to strengthen the role of civil society in increasing the climate ambition in CEE countries.
Energy Policy Energy Transition Energy Transition and Climate-Neutral Buildings Just Transition
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia
09/17 - 02/20
Non-governmental organisations, Civil society, General public, Media, EU institutions, Local governments, Regional governments, National governments
918,062.00 €
Petr Hlobil
Many Central and Eastern European (CEE) Member States of the European Union have been reluctant to commit to more ambitious EU climate goals because they emphasise the cost of climate action over the need and the benefits of a low-carbon transition.
Civil society action has been instrumental in increasing the ambition level in climate policy through publishing different studies, advocacy strategies for legislative action in individual CEE Member States, monitoring the implementation of EU climate and energy policies and engaging in successful legal action against coal power plants.
However, when compared with other regions, notable gaps exist in the organisation and influence of clean energy stakeholders in a number of CEE countries.
Post-industrial museum Zollverein in Bochum, Germany. Photo by Berber Verpoest, CC BY-SA 3.0
The partners strived to make the need for a low-carbon transition and its benefits more visible at all levels of decision-making and to gain commitment for a long-term solution of the issue in the CEE region. Specifically, the project has:
Collaboration between a CEE-based NGO network (Bankwatch), an environmental think tank (E3G) working on EU level, and a German NGO (DUH) ensured that all levels of expertise and the German experience with Energiewende were reflected in the process.
Last update: June 2025