Big loans to big players
Mada Masr | January 30, 2014To many outsiders looking in, the seemingly resounding “yes” vote in Egypt’s recent constitutional referendum might suggest that, three years on from the January 25 protests that kick-started the country’s revolution, the democratic transition is healthily moving forward.
Hydropower Struggle: Dams Threaten Europe’s Last Wild Rivers
Der Spiegel | January 29, 2014Europe’s last remaining wild rivers flow through the Balkans, providing stunning scenery and habitat to myriad plants and animals. But hundreds of dam projects threaten to do irreparable harm to the region’s unique biospheres — to provide much needed electricity to the people who live there.
EBRD hiding head in the sand on Egypt democracy
The Daily News Egypt | January 29, 2014Individual rights, gender equality, freedom of religion, freedom of thought and opinion, freedom of press, the right to go on strike — all these and other rights and freedoms are enshrined in the new constitution that Egyptians voted overwhelmingly in favour of.
A Lesson for Dr. Kim and the World Bank as It Ponders the Kosovo Coal Project
Huffington Post | January 27, 2014When Dr. Kim, President of the World Bank, and leaders of other international financial institutions ponder funding new coal power projects this year — like the one in Kosovo — there’s one word that should be seared into their memories: Sostanj.
The scandal-marred lignite plant TES 6 in Slovenia will likely cost 1.44 billion euros
Balkans Business News | January 27, 2014The scandal-marred lignite plant TES 6 at Sostanj in Slovenia will likely cost 1.44 billion euros (2 billion US), more than double than what was initially predicted, and is due to produce annual losses of 50 million euros, show calculations recently revealed by Slovenian media. These cost escalations, predicted by NGOs critical of the project, should constitute a word of caution for other countries in South-Eastern Europe that are considering building new coal capacities
Is the Western Balkans the new Desertec?
European Energy Review | January 14, 2014available upon request
TTIP puts the EU’s environmental and social policies on the line
Euractiv | January 13, 2014The European Commission has repeatedly promised civil society that the TTIP negotiations with the US will not lead to a race to the bottom on environmental protection, health and safety standards and consumer rights. But as negotiations progress, civil society groups on both sides of the Atlantic are increasingly feeling uneasy, ten leading NGOs write in an open letter.
EBRD – eyes wide shut to coal sector corruption
The Ecologist | January 6, 2014The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has been financing coal mining companies implicated in criminal corruption allegations – according to a Bankwatch analysis.
Kolubara, mine serbe sur du charbon ardent
Liberation | January 6, 2014Soutenu par une filiale d’EDF, le projet d’agrandissement du site titanesque et très polluant inquiète les écologistes.
Erdogan’s Turkey embarks on massive ‘dash for coal’
The Ecologist | November 26, 2013Ignoring its significant solar and wind power potential, Turkey is planning a massive ‘dash for coal’ with over 37,000 MW of new coal fired power stations.
