News & publications

Sharing Stories for a Just Transition

In the Western Balkans region, the dependence on coal-powered plants for electricity supply is deeply entrenched. Given the urgent need to transition away from coal, it is vital to support local communities in their efforts to move away from all fossil fuels. This calls for a just and inclusive energy

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Ambitious National Energy and Climate Plans urgently needed

Tomorrow, 30 June, marks the official deadline for  EU countries to submit their updated draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) to the European Commission. These plans will reveal their new contributions to the EU 2030 climate and energy targets and the policies that lead there. As of now, unless

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How to make NECPs fit for the climate emergency?

“We’re close to the tipping point that will make 1.5 degrees impossible to achieve. We need an acceleration agenda and once again we count on the leadership of the European Union in this regard.” – Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, 23 March 2023 The window for stopping

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Towards a Feminist Foreign Climate Policy: considerations for the EU

Executive summary The climate crisis, its impacts and the actions needed to rapidly slow it down and respond to it effectively require an intersectional and gender-responsive lens. The most recent 6th Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has given strong attention to equitable, just and enabling

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Using political momentum to phase out fossil gas by 2035

The catastrophic effects of climate change continue to wreak havoc on Europe and the world. We witness more frequent floods, droughts, and extreme temperature events, underscoring the urgency of bringing down greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to its devastating impacts on the environment, the past few years have shown how

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Civil Society 10-point plan for a fossil gas phase out by 2035

2024 was the planet’s warmest year on record and the first calendar year where the average global temperature exceeded 1.5°C above its pre-industrial level during 12 months in a row. While the climate emergency is intensifying and accelerating,   the urgency to tackle greenhouse gas emissions is more imperative than

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Coal Subsidies: Holding Energy Market Reform Hostage

The electricity market design reform, launched this year by the European Commission as a response to the volatility of energy prices during the fossil fuel price crisis, caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is at risk. A last minute push to open the door for coal subsidies is diverting attention

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REACTION: The STEP proposal: recovery funds and cohesion policy should not be cannibalised for financing dubious objectives

The European Commission proposed, along with the mid-term review of the EU budget (Multi-annual Financial Framework, MFF) a regulation establishing a Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’). The objectives of this initiative are to strengthen Europe’s autonomy by reducing its dependence on strategic technologies; enhance its competitiveness; favour a level

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CAN Europe’s Strategy for Changemaking in Times of Crisis

CAN Europe has recognised the need to broaden and deepen its vision and mission, to be more cognisant of the impacts we have as one species within nature, to uphold a clearer vision for social justice, and to encompass the diversity of organisations and approaches within our Network. Read CAN

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Letter to ENVI Committee – Nature Restoration Law proposal

On 15 June you will meet to vote on the important Nature Restoration Law proposal. This is an immense opportunity to act against the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises and, consequently, keep the European Union on track to reach the European Green Deal goals. Science has clearly demonstrated that it

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Group photo at the Ecopower windfarm

Sunny Shorts: Funding the energy community movement in Europe

  Brought to you by the Together for 100% Renewable Europe Campaign Energy communities are a democratic solution to our pressing energy, poverty and social challenges. In response to the worsening fossil fuel crisis, more and more communities across Europe are establishing local energy communities to take control of how

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REPowerEU: A closing window for energy democratisation

This briefing calls on policymakers to strengthen citizen participation in the energy transition through the ongoing revision of the recovery and resilience plans and drafting of the REPowerEU chapters.  All Member States should have submitted and published their updated recovery plans by the end of April 2023. However, the process

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Leveraging European Public Funds to Support Energy Communities

This briefing builds on the ongoing collaborative work between REScoop.eu, CEE Bankwatch Network and Climate Action Network, mapping to what extent 3 major types of EU Funds (Recovery and Resilience Fund, Cohesion & Regional Development Funds, Modernisation Fund), are being used by Member States to support energy communities. We took

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Fears of EU backtracking on cutting methane emissions

MEDIA ADVISORY Brussels, 8th May – What is happening: On Tuesday, 9th May, Members of the European Parliament will vote in plenary on the Methane Regulation and set Parliament’s position for trilogue negotiations with the Council. This is a critical piece of legislation poised to both slow global warming and

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Forests in the Nature Restoration Law

THE NEED FOR RESTORATION OF FORESTS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF PROTECTED AREAS   Biodiversity loss in European forests is taking place at an alarming scale. To reverse this we must: strictly protect (meaning non-intervention in) our remaining old-growth forests, set aside additional forests for restoration in order for them to

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Why adopting the Social Climate Fund is the right choice for the EU

The Social Climate Fund (SCF) is the first EU Fund specifically dedicated to provide financial support to vulnerable households, transport users and micro-enterprises in the transition towards sustainable mobility and energy consumption in buildings. Its adoption represents a milestone towards a more systematic integration of a social dimension into EU

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No new straightjacket for EU fiscal rules!

The Commission is soon to make a legislative proposal to reform the EU fiscal rules in order to give more leeway and time for member states with debt above 60% of GDP to reduce their debt and deficit spending. We call upon the European Commission not to re-introduce so-called common

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CAN Europe Press Release

Media Advisory: The final stand for EU’s Renewables Directive

  The backbone of Europe’s energy transition; The final stand for EU’s Renewables Directive A 2030 Renewable Energy target lower than 45% does not reflect neither the energy price or climate crises Any attempts to allow low-carbon undermines the sole purpose of the directive; to promote the development of renewable

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Joint Letter: Last call for higher EU 2030 renewable energy target

  To:  Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President, European Green Deal Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy MEP Markus Pieper, Rapporteur for the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) Deputy Permanent Representatives   Support the target of “at least 45%” renewable energy for 2030: lead the charge for a safe, sustainable and affordable energy future

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Civil society shows Europe’s way to climate neutrality by 2040

The Paris-Agreement-Compatible (PAC) scenario gives the recipe for the EU to do its fair share to deliver the Paris Agreement commitment to keep global temperature increase to 1.5°C. This civil-society led scenario identifies four key areas: enabling sustainable lifestyles, energy and process improvements, electrification coupled with a zero-carbon power production,

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Looking green, visions of EU economic governance

In a cross-party debate organised by the European Environmental Bureau and CAN Europe, five members of the European Parliament discussed how to best balance environmental, social and fiscal sustainability. The debate highlighted areas of convergence and divergence among political parties. MEPs in the panel agreed that we need forward-looking EU

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Assessment of the Modernisation Fund two years into operation

It has been two years since the Modernisation Fund (based in EU Emmission Trading System) started operating. As NGOs, we have been closely following the spending as we believe it has the potential to be a real game-changer for lower-income EU Member States to achieve the just energy transition and

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Reaction to the IPCC synthesis report of the 6th Assessment Cycle

  Reaction to today’s release of the IPCC’s Synthesis report of the 6th Assessment Cycle, which reflects an undeniable scientific consensus about the urgency of the climate crisis, its primary causes, its current devastating impacts especially on most climate vulnerable regions and the irreversible harm that will occur if warming

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Building a green industry within planetary boundaries

The Green Deal Industrial Plan (GDIP), and proposals for a Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) and a Critical Raw Materials Regulation (CRMR) are presented as drivers for the EU’s ambitions and actions towards net-zero by supporting industrial manufacturing of key technologies and ensuring the EU’s easy access to the critical raw

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Joint statement on the Commission’s proposal for a Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age

Brussels, 10th March 2023 To: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President and European Commissioner for Competition Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President and European Commissioner for Trade Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market Virginijus Sinkevičius,

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CAN Europe Press Release

Reaction to Final decision on EU Energy Efficiency: Policymakers settle for meagre mediocrity rather than meaningful efficiency

Final decision on EU Energy Efficiency: Policymakers settle for meagre mediocrity rather than meaningful efficiency  A disappointing decision from the final trilogue that fails to recognise the urgent action needed to address the current ‘trilemma’ that Europe now faces. The final agreement between the EU Commission, Parliament and Council lacks

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Key steps towards an EU feminist foreign climate policy

The climate crisis, its impacts and the actions that are needed to rapidly slow it down and respond to it effectively require an intersectional, gender-responsive lens. The most recent and biggest scientific assessment, the 6th Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has given strong attention to

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Letter: Call for a more ambitious Energy Efficiency Directive

Dear Deputy Permanent Representative, Ahead of the conclusion of the final trilogues of the revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), CAN Europe is calling on rapidly stepping up energy savings through an ambitious revision of the EED. In this context, we are very concerned about the Presidency’s non paper

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Assessing options forward with the Energy Charter Treaty

Introduction Civil Society Organisations, including CAN Europe, welcome the Commission’s non-paper on the next steps regarding the membership of the EU and Euratom to the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). In particular, we strongly agree with the Commission Services that the EU’s withdrawal from the ECT is unavoidable and that a

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ENERGY SYSTEM OF TOMORROW: Reconsidering the European Electricity Market for a Flexible, Resilient, People-centred and Efficient System with 100% Renewables

Unprecedented levels of global energy price increase and volatility due to the EU’s systemic dependence on fossil gas started surfacing by the end of 2021. In order to shield consumers (households, businesses and industry) and overall economies, European governments started implementing short-term energy market interventions. In the meantime a debate

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Why Hydrogen Blending is Hydrogen Wasting?

Hydrogen has been proclaimed for some time now as a transitional fuel from fossil gas to sustainable renewables, especially in the last months with the fossil fuel crisis and geopolitics driven from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, for hydrogen to be a true sustainable energy source, it has to be

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Joint Civil Society letter on Polish ’10H’ onshore wind regulation reform

To: Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President, European Green Deal  To: Ditte Juul-Jorgensen, Director General for Energy of the European Commission  To: Céline Gauer, Director General of the Recovery and Resilience Task Force  Cc: Diederik Samsom, Head of the Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans RE: Civil society organisations open letter –

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Assessing the EU’s proposals to boost a green industry

  On February 1st 2023, the European Commission is expected to propose a 4 pillar response to the US’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which will be discussed at the upcoming European Council meeting on 9-10 February. CAN Europe welcomes the focus on building a green industry but calls for a

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Legal challenges by NGOs, citizens key to climate battle

This op ed was first published by Social Europe. Strong climate governance means holding governments to account. The EU institutions have shied away from doing so. In November, the European Union institutions reached an agreement on the legislative revision of two prominent files of the ‘Fit For 55’ climate package:

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Statement of solidarity with human rights defenders, climate justice advocates, and persecuted civil society organizations in Egypt

We the undersigned organizations advocating for climate justice, understand the importance of peaceful dissent, participation, and advocacy to demand climate action and to ensure the actions taken advance human rights. We stand in solidarity with Egyptian human rights defenders and climate justice advocates, who continue to bravely work for a

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Letter to EU Environment Ministers: Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) revision

At the coming Environment Council meeting you will discuss several interlinked topics from climate change to biodiversity protection, incorporating zero pollution, circular economy and industrial emissions generally and specifically on F-gases and ozone-depleting substances. These policies address issues that mainly result from unsustainable production and consumption practices. We are writing

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Letter to EU Environment Ministers: Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) revision

At the coming Environment Council meeting you will discuss several interlinked topics from climate change to biodiversity protection, incorporating zero pollution, circular economy and industrial emissions generally and specifically on F-gases and ozone-depleting substances. These policies address issues that mainly result from unsustainable production and consumption practices. We are writing

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THE COMMISSION’S PROPOSAL TO CREATE A CERTIFICATION FRAMEWORK FOR CARBON REMOVALS RISKS CREATING BIG LOOPHOLES IN EU CLIMATE ACTION

Brussels, 30 November 2022 – Today’s European Commission proposal to create a carbon removals certification framework leaves too many important questions unanswered, such as by whom and how the certificates will be used, risking it becoming a tool for delaying decarbonisation and bringing accounting loopholes into climate policy. The regulation,

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Submission to ACER’s public consultation on Scenarios Guidelines

CAN Europe has provided its feedback to the public consultation of the European Union’s Agency for the Coordination of Energy Regulators (ACER) on its Framework Guidelines on the joint scenarios for electricity and gas network development plans (“Scenarios Guidelines”). Under the revised Regulation (EU) 2022/869 on guidelines for trans-European energy

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CAN Europe empowers civil society organisations to influence the design and development of effective climate change policy in Europe, both in the European Union as well as in its Member States and in European countries outside the EU.

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