Dr. Barbara Frey has been awarded a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA PF) by the European Commission for her research project ENVIJUST-WB: Green Transition and Environmental Justice in the European Periphery: Asymmetries and Contestation in the Western Balkans. The fellowship will be hosted by the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CSMK) at the University of Rijeka and amounts to EUR 187,631.76 over a 24-month period. This is the only MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded at the University of Rijeka in this call and one of only two such fellowships awarded in Croatia.
The project will be implemented under the supervision of Asst. Prof. Tena Prelec, with institutional support from CSMK. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are among the most competitive EU research grants, and the 2025 call was characterised by exceptionally strong competition and a very high threshold for funding. The project ENVIJUST-WB has received the exceptionally high mark of 98.6%.
ENVIJUST-WB examines the green transition in the Western Balkans through the lens of political economy, inequality, and environmental justice. It focuses on how EU strategies and regulatory frameworks are translated into national policies and investment decisions, and how different stakeholders – public authorities, private sector actors, and civil society – shape transition outcomes. The fellowship will support international research cooperation and contribute to evidence-based policymaking on the social and political dimensions of the green transition.