Corridor Vc motorway, Bosnia-Herzegovina – EBRD AGM Issue Paper
Publication | 16 May, 2009In 2008 the EBRD signed a loan for EUR 180 million for several sections of the planned 330 km long Corridor Vc motorway in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Communities living along the route are concerned about the expected negative effects on or even the destruction of valuable arable land. Furthermore another problem lies in the motorways routing through or nearby tentative UNESCO World Heritage sites, two planned national parks and other ecologically valuable terrain.
Read morePorto Romano thermo power plant, Albania – EBRD AGM Issue Paper
Publication | 16 May, 2009The Porto Romano TPP is yet another project that aims to improve energy security in Albania, yet the construction of such a large TPP powered by imported coal can hardly be reckoned to constitute sustainable development. Nevertheless, and despite the fact that coal-fired TPP plants are widely recognised as the most climate-wrecking forms of electricity generation, the governing elite in Albania is determined to have one in its own backyard.
Read moreThe progress of the Gazela slum resettlement project, Belgrade, Serbia – EBRD AGM Issue Paper
Publication | 16 May, 2009The Gazela Bridge in Belgrade, Serbia is in urgent need of renovation. Three hundred families, predominantly Roma, who live in informal settlements under the Bridge are to be resettled. So far the resettlement process lacks proper planning and open public consultation with affected communities and Roma experts. And also the EBRDs involvement as a technical assistant has not led to the establishment of the institutional, financial and legal solutions that are necessary to effectively promote Roma inclusion.
Read moreDnipro Tunnel PPP in Kiev – EBRD AGM Issue Paper
Publication | 16 May, 2009In September 2008 the EBRD issued a USD 30 million loan for the Kiev City Traffic Management project which involves the planned construction of a major tunnel under the river Dnipro. Despite rising costs of now about USD 1.0 billion, no justification has been provided as to why this highly controversial tunnel has been chosen among other solutions to Kievs transportation problem.
Read moreAdjara Solid Waste Management project, Georgia – EBRD AGM Issue Paper
Publication | 16 May, 2009While the planning process of the solid waste management project for the Autonomous Republic of Adjara is well advanced (first draft of EIA report in December 2008, public consultation meeting in February 2009), the Association Green Alternative has found several problematic concerns. Among them are the lack of information for affected communities, the absence of vital aspects in the EIA process and the disregard of potential negative social impacts of the project. These concerns should be taken into account before financing by the EBRD is granted.
Read moreWestern High Speed Diameter: Time to look for feasible alternatives – EBRD AGM Issue Paper
Publication | 16 May, 2009While St. Petersburgs road maintenance budget as a reaction to the economic crisis has been cut by 75%, federal and city officials are determined to realise the Western High Speed Diameter (WHSD), despite more than quadruplet production costs since 2006. But apart from the unjustified routing of the diameter through residential and important natural areas, it is also still unclear whether there are cheaper and more effective alternatives.
Read moreD1 Motorway, Slovakia – EBRD AGM Issue Paper
Publication | 15 May, 2009The D1 motorway is one of the key priorities of the Slovak government and in line for EBRD and EIB support. The government as repeatedly declared its intention to finish the project by 2010, but the currently planned route was not subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment and represents a serious impact on the NATURA 2000 network. Apart from the disregard of EIA recommendations which favoured a variant that bypasses almost all important natural habitats, several crucial questions have to be asked at the EBRD London AGM on May 15-16.
Read moreNabucco: a short sighted answer to the energy security challenge – EBRD AGM Issue Paper
Publication | 15 May, 2009Both EBRD and EIB consider support for the construction of the Nabucco gas pipeline. But proponents of the project successfully avoid several important issues. Among them are the human rights records of the potential partners Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, both ranked among the most authoritarian regimes in the world.
Read moreChelopech gold and copper mine Bulgaria – EBRD AGM Issue Paper
Publication | 15 May, 2009After visiting Chelopech TMF in October 2008, members of the Petition Committee of the European Parliament report an ‘immediate threat to public health, water, soil and agricultural production, and the climate conditions in the region’ posed by the Mining project. Their report recommends further investigations by EC and Bulgarian Government and calls for implementation of EU environmental law and basic rights and principles.
Read moreBubbling under the surface: The role of western public finance in the crisis hitting central and eastern Europe
Publication | 14 May, 2009The financial and economic crisis unravelling across the world economy has fundamentally changed economic policy imperatives for states and international financial institutions, including those operating at the European level. This situation offers the opportunity to articulate policies favourable to progressive social and environmental aims as integral parts of effective and transformative plans for economic recovery. While todays policy makers are unlikely to be moved by such arguments at this point, broader layers of social actors engaged in debates about the crisis most definitely will. This report seeks to provide guidance for their mobilisation by considering the context, formulation and delivery of crisis response policies by the EC, the EIB and the EBRD in relation to the CEE economies.
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