Twenty-four civil society organisations (CSOs) – including NGOs, environmental groups, labour unions, and industrial associations – from Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Latvia have joined a new coalition, which held its kick-off meeting on 26 September 2025.
Through regular capacity-building activities, the coalition aims to increase awareness and knowledge of carbon management among CSOs.
The coalition will focus on four key priorities:
- Supporting carbon management projects that deliver climate and socio-economic benefits.
- Building civil society capacity for informed dialogue and cross-border knowledge exchange.
- Advocating for policies and projects that are socially and environmentally responsible.
- Promoting good governance and citizen engagement in regions where projects may be deployed.
These efforts will ensure that key stakeholders in the region are well-prepared to contribute to transparent, impactful carbon management initiatives and to meaningful emissions reductions.
This initiative is part of GreenHorizon CEE, a project funded by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. It is the overarching goal of the EUKI to foster climate cooperation within the European Union in order to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
Civil society involvement is essential, as recent studies show that citizens consider academia and NGOs to be the most trusted sources of information on carbon management technologies. Coalition activities in each country will be coordinated by local partners: WiseEuropa (Poland), EPG (Romania), CSD (Bulgaria), and Bellona Europa (Latvia). Bellona Europa will oversee the overall coalition, which will meet online at least quarterly to discuss key developments in carbon management. Members will be encouraged to share challenges and opportunities openly, ensuring transparency throughout the carbon management policy and project development pipeline.
