Ukrainian civil society resists efforts to be co-opted by big agro
September 20, 2017 | Read more
The controversial Ukrainian agribusiness giant Myronivsky Hliboproduct (MHP) tries to handle community relations by putting publicity spin on the outcomes of a long overdue discussion with civil society.
Georgia’s highlanders against hydropower
September 20, 2017 | Read more
As the Georgian government moves ahead with its plans for increasing the country’s hydropower capacity, local communities are being sidelined in the process of compensation payments.
Recent hydropower projects in Albania exemplify the need for more climate-resilient energy sources than water. After a summer marked by drought, also the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development found flaws in the projects in helped finance.
With crude manipulations, the Bulgarian government is trying to push through a contended motorway route that would damage the country’s biodiversity hotspot in breach of EU law and international conventions. It expects that the European Commission will sit, watch and pay for it.
An assessment of livelihoods of people to be affected by the Nenskra hydropower plant in Georgia is rigged with mistakes that will lead to significant losses for locals.
Despite the remote location, the culture festival We Are Svaneti brought together people from three continents and helped young Svans to become aware of their communities’ unique traditions.
