News

The restoration of Mediterranean seagrass meadows must move from fragmented pilot projects to long-term, large-scale action supported by coherent governance and sustainable financing, according to the new report released by the Interreg Euro-MED ARTEMIS project.

Against the backdrop of increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves across Europe, Maria-Christina Doulami, Communications Officer at The Green Tank, explores the vital role of nature in addressing the climate crisis in her latest opinion piece for HuffPost Greece titled “Nature Is Our Natural Air Conditioner. Why Do We Continue to Invest So Little in It?”. Forests, wetlands, seagrass meadows and urban green spaces are not only havens for biodiversity—they are essential natural infrastructure that cool our cities, reduce climate risks and strengthen the resilience of our communities.

How can the EU scale up the restoration of Mediterranean seagrass meadows? This and more were the central questions explored during the online policy roundtable "From Meadows to Markets: Advancing Seagrass Restoration and Sustainable Financing", co-hosted by MEP Dimitris Tsiodras and organised by The Green Tank in the framework of the ARTEMIS Interreg Euro-Med project on June 25, 2026.

Energy communities and self-generation are the main tools enabling citizens, local communities, and small businesses to actively participate in the energy transition. However, the latest data point to a continuing slowdown, both in the development of new projects and in the implementation of existing applications. The Green Tank’s 9th review of energy communities and self-generation in Greece analyses the latest available data from HEDNO, IPTO and GEMI, highlighting the most important trends.

At the 5th ESG Universe Forum, Ioli Christopoulou, Policy Director and Co-founder of The Green Tank, highlighted the role of nature investments as a key tool for biodiversity protection, resilience building, and sustainable development.

From 8 to 10 June 2026, The Green Tank joined fellow partners and associated stakeholders at the final conference of the Interreg Euro-MED ARTEMIS project in Menorca, Spain, contributing to discussions on advancing seagrass restoration across the Mediterranean.

In an article published by Chronos Kozanis, Nikos Mantzaris, Lead Policy Analyst and Co-founder of The Green Tank, examines Greece’s lignite exports to North Macedonia during the 2022–2026 period, shedding light on an aspect of the country’s lignite phase-out that has been at the center of public and parliamentary debate in recent years.

Domestic gas consumption rose in May (4.6 TWh), mainly due to electricity generation (+15.4% compared to April). LNG imports via Revythousa ranked first with 1.85 TWh. However, Russian gas via Sidirokastro followed closely behind with 1.78 TWh. In the first five months of 2026, domestic consumption was at similar levels to last year (29.35 TWh), while LNG imports reached a record high (18.9 TWh), and gas exports quadrupled compared to 2025 (8 TWh).

The Interreg Euro-MED ARTEMIS project was recently featured in an extensive article by science journalist Tom Peeters in the Belgian science magazine Eos Wetenschap. The article, titled “Posidonia: The Seagrass That Protects the Mediterranean Sea”, explores the ecological importance of Posidonia oceanica meadows, their role in biodiversity conservation, coastal protection and carbon sequestration, as well as the threats they face from anchoring, fish farming and climate change.

Emissions from electricity production reached a 12-month low in April 2026 (0.93 million tons) due to reduced use of fossil fuels, particularly oil (0.1 million tons). The average annual carbon intensity reached a new all-time low (233.4 g CO2/kWh). However, for the first four months, emissions totaled 4.9 million tons, with fossil gas accounting for 56.1%. Without RES curtailments during this period (885 GWh), carbon emissions would have been 12% lower.

The cement industry is one of the most carbon-intensive industrial sectors globally. Yet its decarbonization is accompanied by significant technical and economic challenges. With the window for achieving the EU’s binding 2030 climate targets rapidly narrowing and the gradual phase-out of free allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) affecting the sector’s competitiveness, closing the investment gap for decarbonization projects has become an urgent priority.

For the 4th consecutive month, renewables led the way in electricity production with 2,107 GWh, despite the high level of curtailments recorded in April (475 GWh). The first 7 batteries connected to the grid reduced RES curtailments by just 0.72% and gas-fired power generation by just 0.26%. High RES, combined with low levels of fossil gas and lignite (1,340 GWh and 197 GWh, respectively), led to a drop in the average wholesale price (89 €/MWh, -6.6%). However, over the 4-month period, fossil gas (7,329 GWh) was just 1.2% below last year’s record levels, while net exports reached a high of

At the international conference “The Evolving Climate and Energy Landscape in Greece”, organized by the Columbia Climate School, the University of Western Macedonia and the Columbia Global Center Athens, with the support of PPC and the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, on May 25–26, 2026 in Athens, Nikos Mantzaris, Lead Policy Analyst and co-founder of The Green Tank, participated in the session “Policy Perspectives on the Energy Transition” alongside representatives from academia, research institutions, and the energy sector.

Nikos Mantzaris, Lead Policy Analyst and co-founder of The Green Tank, spoke on Giorgos Psalti’s news radio show on SKAI 100.3 about the findings of The Green Tank’s latest analysis on trends in Greece’s retail electricity market.