Climate Change, Coal and Curbing a Lobbyocracy?

5 August 2011  | qceablog

All EU Member States face lobbying from fossil fuel companies, and singling out any specific country does not alter the fact that it is endemic. However, a couple of very pertinent case studies have recently come to QCEA’s attention, documenting how powerful lobby groups have disproportionately skewed the debate. These cases serve to illustrate that advocating greater transparency and public discussion of the interests that different lobbyists represent, plays a crucial part in the fight against climate change.

Europäisches Fördergeld für Ausbau klimaschädlicher Braunkohlemine

27 July 2011  | DAPD

Berlin/London – Der serbische Energieversorger EPS bekommt einen 80-Millionen-Euro-Kredit aus Steuermitteln für den Ausbau des Braunkohlebergwerks Kolubara. Das beschloss die Europäische Bank für Wiederaufbau und Entwicklung (EBRD) am Mittwoch in London. Mit dem Geld solle die Produktion modernisiert werden. Die Förderbank bezeichnete die Investition als Mittel zur “Erhöhung der Umweltstandards”.

Activists ask if the EBRD is good for Egypt

27 July 2011  | Daily News Egypt

CAIRO: As the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) moves closer to expanding its operations into Egypt, activists have questioned whether such a move would be beneficial for the country.

Tbilisi’s Discount Rail Bypass

26 July 2011  | Transitions online

An internationally backed project will route hazardous cargo out of the city center, but residents in its path say they’re being offered a pittance in exchange for valuable land and a way of life.

Local actors sidelined in decisions about the future of EU pre-accession funds

25 July 2011  | BlogActiv

Regardless of the EU’s ups and downs, most people in Eastern Europe are still likely to believe that membership can help improve their lives. For pre-accession countries (Western Balkans, Turkey, Iceland), financial assistance from the EU in the form of IPA (the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance) is considered an important opportunity to promote development.

EU urged not to fund coal mine project in Serbia

20 July 2011  | EuObserver

A pending decision by the European Bank for Development and Reconstruction (EBRD) to pay €80 million for the expansion of Serbia’s largest coal mine has caused uproar among environmentalist groups and the local community.