“If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging” is an adage that decision-makers in the Western Balkans would do well to heed. This particularly applies to plans to bring online new coal power plants and the legal, economic and credibility risks these entail.
Funding the right incentives for the just transition
January 14, 2020 | Read more
The Commission’s proposal for a Just Transition Fund is encouraging as fossil fuels have been excluded. Special attention should be given though to key elements such as its mode of governance, geographical scope, and the types of activities eligible for funding.
In Kenya, EU bank preventing forced evictions would be a Christmas miracle
December 20, 2019 | Read more
The European Investment Bank and German development bank KfW are among the lenders supporting a 41 kilometre extension of the road from Mombasa towards Nairobi, one of the most important in Kenya. Over the last four years, the resettlement of those along the transport corridor has created severe problems for residents of Mombasa’s suburbs.
When it comes to wind energy, Latvia lags far behind its neighbours.
Ashes to ashes, state aid to dust
December 11, 2019 | Read more
In a world that is plagued by over-urbanisation, it is not common for people to move away from cities. One local in Șimnicu de Sus decided to leave the city in search for some peace and quiet – and got punished for it. The improperly managed ash disposal site from the nearby power plant is contaminating his house and the air he breathes with various pollutants. Now, there are even plans for expanding the site by using public money – the locals’ money.
On Friday 6 December, the Standing Committee of the Berne Convention decided to strengthen the monitoring of the Struma highway construction through the Kresna Gorge by sending an expert mission to the project. The decision followed a European Commission report identifying violations of European environmental legislation in the EIA procedure and in the application form for EU financing for the project.
