Download the PDF version of our 2024 impact report
Download the PDF version of our 2024 impact report
© Copyright 2025 Friends of the Earth Europe. All rights reserved.
Mobilise! Resist! Transform!
At Friends of the Earth Europe, we will remember 2024 as the historic year when an enormous political backlash against environmental and climate ambition materialised in Europe.
The most right-wing EU institutions ever were elected and sworn in, and hard-right forces spread their venom in traditional and social media. Yet, it was also a year of resilience and resistance: we forged unique NGO alliances, strengthened our European network and our collaboration with groups in the Global South, and celebrated key wins, such as the downfall of the Energy Charter Treaty.
© Freek Wille
Our network played a vital role in bringing climate, environmental, and corporate accountability issues into the public debate. We hammered home our demands for environmental justice with media and decision-makers, and our “people over profits” message, backed up with crucial evidence on corporate capture of EU policy processes. We connected with and supported our member groups and helped bridge the gap between EU institutions and European citizens, ensuring that the fight for environmental justice remains a collective, bottom-up effort.
Major polluting energy corporations have used the little-known Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) for decades to block climate action. Friends of the Earth Europe has exposed the scandals resulting from this harmful treaty. Our powerful campaigning, including mobilisations and touring our giant inflatable dinosaur ECT-Rex across the continent, has helped make the treaty a thing of the past.
Over a million people signed our petition, and 400-plus civil society organisations joined our statement against the ECT. As a result, countries including France, Germany, Spain and the UK announced their exit, followed by the EU green lighting its withdrawal, acknowledging the treaty’s incompatibility with climate objectives.
Energy poverty rose to the top of the political agenda following the EU-wide energy price crisis. Together with the Right to Energy Coalition, we played a key role in advocating for long-term structural solutions to energy poverty. Our work ranged from bilateral meetings with MEPs and Commission officials to organising a three-day event in the heart of Brussels and producing a thought-provoking photo exhibition.
“Powerful encounters”, an exhibition that shows the fight against energy poverty through a positive and empowering perspective and features people from across Europe, was launched at the European Parliament and since then has travelled to six countries. Addressing energy poverty remains a priority in the new EU Commission and Parliament cycle.
All this happened 2024, when Jagoda Munic was still at the helm of our organisation. We truly appreciate her contributions to the European and International Friends of the Earth networks! She led us through major European crises – the pandemic, and the Ukraine war, while making sure we stayed closely connected to our political values.
At the start of 2025, I took over the role of Director at Friends of the Earth Europe. I aim to lead with care, collaboration, and courage as core principles, and will work to build our resilience in these challenging times. A warm thank you to our amazing network – staff, members, volunteers – who work on an everyday basis for environmental justice to become reality, weathering manifold challenges!
Matilda Flemming
Director