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April 2, 2025
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Trump administration suspends USD 20 billion in emissions reduction funding

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has frozen USD 20 billion in funding for greenhouse gas reduction projects, citing, among other things, concerns over potential fraud, waste, and abuse, news agencies reported. The move prompted a lawsuit by environmental NGO Climate United Fund, one of the beneficiaries of the program aimed at financing thousands of green energy and climate action projects.

The funding was appropriated by Congress under former President Joe Biden, but the new US administration, led by Donald Trump, decided to freeze it, the reports noted. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, commonly known as the green bank, was launched in 2022.

The green bank was launched under the Biden administration

In a statement, the EPA said that the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were now reviewing the program. Lee Zeldin, the EPA’s new chief, said that “EPA will be an exceptional steward of taxpayer dollars dedicated to our core mission of protecting human health and the environment, not a frivolous spender in the name of ‘climate equity,’” according to news agencies.

The EPA also said it would seek to use the green bank funds “with enhanced controls.”

Over the weekend, Climate United Fund, which had been awarded nearly USD 7 billion under the program to finance clean energy and climate-friendly projects, sued the EPA, demanding access to the funds.

Climate Action Fund had been awarded nearly USD 7 billion for thousands of projects

The organization also sued Citibank, though which the money was to be disbursed, for withholding the funds, according to reports.

In April 2024, it was announced that the EPA had selected eight recipients, including Climate United Fund, to be awarded a total of USD 20 billion in grants to finance tens of thousands of projects aimed at combating climate change and promoting environmental justice. The money was formally awarded in August.

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April 2, 2025
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Seven cities, regions in Western Balkans to strengthen climate resilience with CLIMAAX

Seven cities and regions in the Western Balkans will receive financial and technical support to enhance their climate resilience.

Four local authorities in Albania and one each in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia are among the 69 in 23 countries selected within the CLIMAAX call for applications.

As a result of the two open calls, municipalities, cities and regions will receive more than EUR 12 million in total from the European Union’s Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, the announcement reads.

The maximum amount of financial support within CLIMAAX ranges between EUR 115.227 and EUR 300.000.

The selected cities and regions will conduct multi-risk climate risk assessments

Tirana, Vlora, Belsh, and Libohova in Albania became beneficiaries together with the municipalities of Neum in BiH and Bijelo Polje in Montenegro and the Secretariat for Urban Planning and Environmental Protection in Serbia’s Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.

As for other countries tracked by Balkan Green Energy News, regions and cities in Bulgaria (7), Croatia (2), Cyprus (1), Greece (8), Romania (3), Slovenia (1), and Turkey (7) have also been selected, according to the List of selected beneficiaries 1 and List of selected beneficiaries 2.

The CLIMAAX program highlights the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and other climate-related hazards as significant risks to economies, societies, and ecosystems across the globe. Therefore it is critical to understand the risks and develop effective strategies to manage and adapt to them.

Sempere-Torres: We are building a collaborative network of communities committed to climate resilience across Europe

The main objective is to support the implementation of the EU Adaptation Strategy and especially the first objective of the Horizon Europe Mission Adaptation: preparing and planning for climate resilience.

Selected cities and regions will implement the proposed methodological framework and toolbox to conduct multi-risk climate risk assessments. The regions are eligible for support from the CLIMAAX consortium in their work on the assessments.

“With CLIMAAX expanding to more regions, we are enhancing our efforts to make climate risk assessment into a practical process that leads to real, impactful action. By empowering regions with the necessary tools and financial support, we are not just improving local adaptation strategies—we are building a collaborative network of communities committed to climate resilience across Europe,” said Daniel Sempere-Torres, project co-coordinator of CLIMAAX and director of the Center of Applied Research in Hydrometeorology of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

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April 2, 2025
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EU mission in Serbia handed 100,000 signatures against declaring Rio Tinto’s Jadar a strategic project

Informal environmentalist organization Eko Straža has submitted a letter to the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia urging the EU not to grant strategic status to Rio Tinto’s Jadar project in the country. The letter opposing the lithium mining and processing project is backed by the signatures of 100,000 citizens.

Bojan Simišić of Eko Straža said the signatures had been submitted because of the European Commission’s upcoming decision on strategic projects to produce critical raw materials in third countries. The decision is expected to be adopted this week, Fonet reported.

The letter, supported by 100,000 signatures, is the first concrete step by environmental associations and citizens after the announcement that the EU could grant Jadar the status of a strategic project. The site of Rio Tinto’s underground mine and processing unit is near the Western Serbian city of Loznica.

The EU has adopted the first list of strategic projects

On Tuesday, the European Commission approved the first 47 strategic projects, within EU territory, for the production of critically important raw materials. According to the announcement, the decision on the potential selection of proposals for facilities in third countries will be adopted at a later stage.

Under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), such strategic projects are eligible for administrative and financial support.

Shortly after the decision was announced, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that within seven or eight days, the EU would also declare the Jadar lithium project as strategic. He made the claim the same evening in Brussels, where he met with the bloc’s top officials.

Eko Straža: If the EU designates Jadar as strategic, protests will follow

Eko straža stressed that the EU does not have jurisdiction to designate Jadar as a strategic project. The organization also pointed out that Jadar was canceled by the Serbian government’s decision in 2022.

“If the EU puts the Jadar project on its list of strategic projects, we will press ahead with protests. However, we will no longer address the Serbian government, which has resigned, but will instead turn to international institutions,” said Eko Straža.

Balkan Green Energy News has compiled a chronological overview of the most important events concerning Jadar since 2001, when Rio Tinto established a subsidiary in Serbia.

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April 2, 2025
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City of Tuzla seeks to block lithium mining on Mount Majevica

Two weeks after the local authorities and residents of the municipality of Lopare voiced their opposition to plans to open a lithium mine on Mount Majevica, the City of Tuzla sent a similar message. A few days ago, the Tuzla city council adopted a document requesting a ban on the mining of lithium and similar metals within a 40-kilometer radius over concerns for the environment and public health.

In the document, adopted on March 27, the local authorities express concern about the ongoing procedure to grant a concession for a lithium mine at Majevica to Arcore AG, as well as about the agreement between the Republic of Srpska and Hungary on rare earth mining, signed on March 3, 2025.

State authorities urged to initiate an environmental impact assessment

The city council demands an urgent review of the potential environmental impact of these projects on Tuzla and the wider area and calls on the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina to promptly initiate a procedure to assess their environmental impact, including the potential pollution of groundwater and rivers.

The City of Tuzla demands that the competent institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina immediately launch an international environmental protection mechanism, including the implementation of the Aarhus Convention, to ensure public participation and prevent any harmful impacts of lithium mining. It also calls on the National Assembly and the Government of the Republic of Srpska to suspend the concession award process until an independent environmental study is conducted.

Neighboring municipalities invited to act together against lithium mining

In the document, Tuzla invites neighboring municipalities to join forces and create a joint plan to prevent lithium mining in the area of ​​Mount Majevica, while also recalling that in September 2024, Tuzla adopted a declaration strongly opposing the lithium mining plans.

The protest in Lopare in mid-March was attended by residents and activists from the neighboring towns and municipalities, including Bijeljina, Banjaluka, Šipovo, Brčko, Fojnica, Maglaj, and Tuzla.

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April 2, 2025
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Serbian organizations, academic community urge EU against declaring lithium project Jadar strategic

The National Convention on the European Union in Serbia has sent a letter to European officials, expressing concern over the potential consequences of designating Rio Tinto’s Jadar lithium project as an EU strategic project. The body warns that such a decision could further erode the support for the country’s European integration. Members of the academic community and numerous citizens also urged the administration in Brussels to reject the company’s application.

The National Convention on the European Union is a platform for cooperation and consultations between civil society and the Government of Serbia in the EU accession negotiation process. It sent the letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, European Commission Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Stéphane Séjourné, and Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič. The convention expresses concern over the possible consequences of including the Jadar lithium project in the EU’s list of strategic projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA).

“Given the immense public distrust surrounding the preparation process of the Jadar project, its designation as a project of strategic importance to the European Union, especially in the current geopolitical climate and during Serbia’s institutional and societal crisis, would further undermine citizens’ confidence in the benefits of European integration. Additionally, the long-term geopolitical orientation of Serbia could be affected, potentially jeopardizing the political stability of the Western Balkans,” the letter states.

The convention added that Serbian citizens’ trust in the European Union has been eroded, pointing to the results of a recent public opinion survey. For the first time, more citizens have expressed opposition to EU membership than support for European integration, the body stressed.

EU strategic projects and reactions

The European Commission has approved the first 47 strategic projects in EU territory for important raw materials. The decision for candidate projects in third countries, including Serbia, has been postponed. Under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act, such strategic projects are eligible for administrative and financial support.

Shortly after the European Commission’s decision, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated in Brussels that the EU would declare the Jadar project strategic “in seven or eight days.”

Together with nongovernmental organizations and community associations from Romania, Germany, Spain, and Portugal, the Marš sa Drine group from Serbia reacted to the European Commission’s decision, and later also to Vučić’s statement. They said they would legally challenge the strategic status designation for disputed mining projects.

The convention recalled that over 60% of Serbian citizens currently oppose the Jadar project, which includes technology that has never been deployed anywhere in the world.

Citizens’ opposition to the Jadar project should be understood primarily as a reflection of distrust in Serbian institutions

“This opposition primarily reflects a deep mistrust in Serbian institutions and their ability to impartially assess the public interest in such a complex project, as well as to enforce environmental and other regulatory standards should the project proceed,” the document reads.

Transparency in decision making has been lacking, and the reactions of Rio Tinto have been inadequate, it added.

“The local community was not adequately informed about earlier phases of research or the project’s potential consequences. Furthermore, the documents forming the basis of the draft environmental impact assessment study have yet to be made public, further fueling doubts about the objectivity and thoroughness of the decision-making process,” the convention said.

It warned that including projects in Serbia in the list of EU strategic projects, before the rule of law is established and before compliance with European environmental standards is ensured, could be perceived as support for maintaining the current state of affairs.

Letters to the European Commission

Environmentalist organization Eko straža previously submitted a letter to the representatives of the European Union in Belgrade, supported by 100,000 citizens with their signatures. They urged the European Commission to leave Jadar off the list of strategic projects.

In addition to the general public, the academic community has also voiced its opposition and concern. Around 2,800 of its members of Serbia’s academic community signed an initiative to reject the Jadar project.

The academic community and a group of student protesters submitted letters to the EU Delegation in Serbia, addressed to the European Commission, opposing the designation of the Jadar project as strategic.

“The right to clean water, land, nature, and health must take precedence over corporate profit,” the Serbian student blockade organization wrote on its Instagram account.

The Kreni-promeni movement also submitted a petition, signed by more than 300,000 citizens, demanding from the EU to reject the Jadar proposal.

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April 2, 2025
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EU gives European carmakers more time to comply with CO2 standards

The European Commission has decided to give more time to the automotive industry to meet CO2 standards for new cars and vans. Transport & Environment says the delay must be the final concession.

The European Commission has proposed an amendment to the regulation that sets CO2 emission performance standards for new cars and vans. It would add a flexibility measure within the targets for 2025-2027, the commission said.

According to the EU’s executive arm, manufacturers’ compliance with the CO2 targets for the three calendar years would be assessed over the entire period, averaging the performances, instead of annually.

The solution allows the companies to balance any excessive annual emissions by outperforming the target in the remaining years, the commission added.

European Commission says it would help the industry to invest in the clean transition while maintaining the 2025 target

It sees the additional flexibility as help to the industry to invest in the clean transition while maintaining the 2025 target and keeping the industry on track for the next round of emissions reductions.

The proposal was announced as part of the European Commission’s Industrial Action Plan for the European automotive sector, adopted on March 5.

According to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the EU’s highly innovative automotive industry is decarbonizing to contribute to the fight against climate change but also to maintain its competitive edge in the world markets.

“We grant more flexibility to this key sector, and at the same time we stay the course of our climate goals,” she stated.

T&E: European carmakers used unrepresentative 2024 sales data to argue for flexibilities

Transport & Environment pointed out that the commission has formally proposed legislation to give carmakers until 2027 to comply with their 2025 emissions reduction targets. The delay to EU car climate rules must be the final concession to European carmakers which used unrepresentative 2024 sales data to argue for flexibilities, the organization added.

It expressed the belief that the concession was a mistake, arguing that battery electric car sales in Europe increased by 28% over the first two months of the year as the industry prepared to comply with the existing 2025 target.

According to Julia Poliscanova, senior director for vehicles and e-mobility supply chains at T&E, the EV sales rebound shows that the existing EU target is working.

“Require carmakers to sell more electric cars and the buyers will come. This must be the last flexibility carmakers are given. Let’s allow the 2030 and 2035 targets to do their work and bring affordable EVs and cleantech investment into Europe,” she stressed.

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