Types of projects

The map comprises three categories of projects:

  • 6 approved projects, for which EU/EIB money has already been authorised and that, in some cases, are already under construction or completed
    total cost: €2.7bn; cost to EU funds: €0.5bn
  • 35 planned projects, that are listed in the national plans for EU funding in the 2007-2013 period or are planned to be financed by the EIB
    total cost: €14.5bn; cost to EU funds: €9.0bn
  • 9 potential projects, that are not officially listed in the EU funding plans or in the EIB pipeline, but are being seriously considered for EU or EIB financial support
    total cost: €4.8bn; cost to EU funds: €0.6bn

The most common types of projects on the map:

  • 14 motorways and expressways, ineptly routed through residential areas or valuable natural sites
    total cost of the problematic sections: €10.5bn; cost to EU funds: €6.4bn
  • 18 waste incinerators, promoted at the expense of more economical and green alternatives, such as waste prevention, recycling and composting
    total cost: €2.0bn; cost to EU funds: €1.2bn
  • 8 inland navigation and other water management projects, involving the artificial regulation of rivers or lakes with damaging impacts on natural ecosystems and other functions of these water bodies
    total cost: €1.3bn; cost to EU funds: €0.5bn

What is controversial about the projects?

  • All the projects on the map are environmentally damaging – they will cause significant harm to the natural or human environment or undermine environment-friendly alternatives.
  • The projects are also often economically dubious – their costs are higher than their benefits or they crowd out more cost-effective alternatives.
  • Many of the projects are legally deficient as they breach national or EU legislation (e.g. with regard to environmental assessments or Natura 2000) and some of them are already the subject of legal complaints and court cases.
  • A lot of the projects face public opposition, usually led by people living in their vicinity who would be most directly affected but often also including broader concerned public.

Changes since the 2006 version of the map Two years ago, CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe published the first version of this map (www.bankwatch.org/billions/2006). What is new in this updated edition?

  • The EU’s funding plans for the period 2007-2013 have been finalised and approved, providing more clarity on the planned projects.
  • The new map also includes projects financed by the EIB. Despite their different set-ups, both the EU funds and the EIB are public financial mechanisms and often co-finance the same projects, hence there is no reason to separate them.
  • As a result of the above changes, there are a greater number of projects on the current map: 50, up from the previous 22.
  • Some of the previously planned controversial projects displayed on the 2006 map have been withdrawn and are fortunately no longer being seriously considered for EU financing in the 2007-2013 period (e.g. the Danube-Oder-Elbe and Danube-Tisza canal projects).