China looks to Europe — through the Balkans
Financial Times | January 6, 2015In the pale sunlight of an unseasonably warm December day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday cut the ribbon to open the Mihailo Pupin Bridge, spanning the Danube in west Belgrade.
China stakes claim in Central and South-East Europe
bne | January 6, 2015A Chinese agreement to finance a high-speed railway from Belgrade to Bucharest was one of around $10bn worth of investments, mainly in the energy and infrastructure sectors, signed during a China-Central and Eastern Europe summit this week. By funding the railway, Beijing hopes to establish a rapid connection from Greece’s Pireaus Port through the Balkans to the EU member states of Central Europe.
EU lays out investment priorities for Juncker plan
EuObserver | December 10, 2014The EU commission on Tuesday (9 December) gave a first flavour of what kind of projects could be financed by the new €315bn investment fund scheduled to become operational mid-2015.
Barriers to infrastructure investment blocking Energy Union
EurActiv | December 10, 2014Energy Union, the flagship initiative to wean the EU off its dependence on Russian gas, faces regulatory, financial and political obstacles that can delay or prevent funding for vital infrastructure, the EU Task Force on Investment has warned.
EU against Romania on the Rovinari coal mines
Energetika | December 10, 2014http://www.energetika.net/eu/novice/articles/eu-against-romania-on-rovinari-coal-mine
Juncker’s €300bn investment gamble – and what it might mean for energy
Energy Post | December 9, 2014The EU and European Investment Bank (EIB) have teamed up to launch a new investment programme for Europe – with energy, as well as transport, research, innovation and education, its key objects. A modest €21bn in public money is set to be multiplied up to a whopping €315bn in total investments over the next three years, pushing Europe toward that long-hoped for economic recovery. There is no dedicated share of the money for individual sectors or countries, yet first reactions from the energy community are enthusiastic.
Juncker’s €315bn investment plan unveiled: fifteenfold leverage and solidarity for the south
EurActiv | December 9, 2014The European Commission yesterday (25 November) unveiled the mechanism for its much-heralded €315 billion investment plan, revealing how a limited €21 billion of initial public money is intended to lift fifteen times as much in capital.
Romania ‘Broke Environmental Rules’ in Coal Expansion
Balkan Insight | December 8, 2014The European Commission has opened an infringement case against Bucharest over deforestation caused by an expansion at a major mining complex.
EBRD’s Environmental Policy Under Scrutiny in Kyrgyzstan
The Diplomat | November 17, 2014Central Asia’s top producing gold mine Kumtor is back in the spotlight, after its major shareholder, Canadian company Centerra Gold’s environmental record was questioned by the Kyrgyz public, domestic activists, and international experts. The controversy surrounding Kumtor has translated into a highly politicized backlash in Kyrgyzstan over a lack of transparency and Centerra’s unwillingness to disclose information on the harmful effect of the mining operations on glaciers. In light of the growing public pressure on Centerra Gold in the republic, one of the Kumtor project’s creditors, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), has come under scrutiny.
Poland’s ‘dirty’ Eastern block shows some cracks
EurActiv | October 28, 2014Horse trading intensifies as the eleventh hour approaches for the EU to decide on its 2030 climate and energy policy. And while Poland has led an Eastern coalition to resist ambitious targets for Europe, Ondrej Pasek writes that some may be only reluctantly following Warsaw.
