Global demand for critical and strategic raw materials is on the rise. These resources are indispensable, particularly for the transition to clean energy, but also within other industry sectors. In this issue of our Böll.Thema magazine, we provide insights into recent developments in resource extraction, the associated challenges, and, most importantly, opportunities for positive change.

The report is a summary with the key findings from the Community energy law in Greece, Serbia, Poland, and Bulgaria. Stock taking and bottlenecks workshop organised in the meantime of the Community Energy Spring Gathering that both took place in Athens and which aimed to explore the topic of a decentralised system of community energy based on democratisation, localization, and environmentally sustainable methods of energy sourcing by shedding light onto its initiatives in Greece, Serbia, Poland, and Bulgaria. The paper presents key elements of both the legal framework and lessons learnt from the community energy initiative’s actions in each of the mentioned countries. Provided knowledge may be useful for further actions towards decentralised energy systems.  

The Urban Resilience Package report was produced in cooperation between the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw and the CoopTech Hub. The publication presents a model of a development cooperative that enables the use and development of local resources - material and social. The solution is based on three pillars: common ownership, co-investment and co-management. The report discusses examples of places where model statutes for development cooperatives have been successfully created: Dąbrowa Górnicza and Konin. The solutions presented in the publication are the result of workshops and meetings with the inhabitants of these towns.

As we write this in March of 2022, our review of the year 2021 is overshadowed by Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. Because of this, not only foreign policy, but also domestic politics have now entered a new era.