Green European Journal

The success of recent protests against extractivism and ecosystem degradation in Serbia and Albania highlights the potential for democratic reinvigoration around ecological issues in south east Europe. But the EU has yet to prove it can act as a credible partner in this process.

Faced with energy scarcity exacerbated by war, EU member states are turning to solutions that are environmentally damaging and not affordable for all. Could ‘energy sobriety’, a form of rationing and progressive pricing, be a socially just way of managing a necessary reduction in energy use?

Water privatization has catastrophic results, as shown by France and the United Kingdom. Citizens across Europe are increasingly opposed to the liberalization of essential services. But with climate change worsening droughts and heatwaves, public ownership is only the first step towards just and effective water management.

Since the 1980s, a wave of privatization has turned housing into a market commodity. Though tourism platforms and corporate landlords are more present than ever, an increasing number of European cities are fighting back, following the path laid out by Vienna.