[Campaign update] Protestors take to Kyiv to demand action from agribusiness giant encroaching on their lands
Blog entry | 24 February, 2017On 22 February, more than 70 activists and residents from the Chyhyryn region south of Kyiv protested outside the headquarters of Myronivsky Hliboproduct (MHP), the Ukrainian agribusiness conglomerate owned by one of the country’s richest billionaires.
Read moreQuestion marks abound over EU-Azerbaijan gas tango
Blog entry | 23 February, 2017Ministers, ambassadors and envoys from at least 15 countries, including Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commission’s Vice President for the Energy Union, are gathered today in the Azerbaijani capital to discuss the progress on the Southern Gas Corridor, t
Read more‘Southern Graft Corridor’ or the shady history of companies involved in Europe’s pet energy project
Blog entry | 13 December, 2016A new Bankwatch study reveals a worrying track record of criminal and corrupt activities among the companies that are building Europe’s flagship gas pipeline project, the Southern Gas Corridor.
Read moreThe EU bank’s dubious overseas development experience shows it cannot be a key player in Europe’s response to the plight of refugees – report
Press release | 18 November, 2016The EIB is increasingly given a prominent role in the EU’s response to the so-called refugee crisis stretching the bank’s operations well beyond its current mandate for overseas investments. Yet, a new report by Counter Balance and CEE Bankwatch Network takes a closer look at projects the EU’s house bank has been financing outside Europe to find a dismal track record on a range of issues from transparency to human rights. This, the report authors say, should serve as a warning sign for the European Parliament and Council as they consider boosting the bank’s mandate.
Read moreAzerbaijan’s crackdown on civil society must not be tolerated, international NGOs tell industry transparency body
Press release | 25 October, 2016The Azerbaijani government’s relentless repression of civil society should disqualify the country from participating in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), 18 international groups wrote in a letter sent on Thursday (October 20) to members of the EITI board.
Read moreToo good to be true? Assessing one year of the Investment Plan for Europe
Blog entry | 28 September, 2016Europe is hemorrhaging cash in deeply unsustainable projects like motorways, airports and gas infrastructure.
Read moreJuncker investment plan: deep reforms necessary for sustainable future
Press release | 28 September, 2016Cash that should be flowing into projects that boost environmental sustainability is instead fuelling outdated carbon-intensive projects like motorways, airports, and fossil-fuel infrastructure, according to a new report on Europe’s investment plan released today
Read moreJuncker Investment Plan 2 and review of EU budget offer no progress towards Europe’s long-term climate goals
Press release | 15 September, 2016What should have been two significant contributions to Europe’s war chest in the fight against climate change will in fact leave the planet short-changed and open the door to even more polluting fossil fuel projects, argue campaigners at Bankwatch, Friends of the Earth Europe and Climate Action Network Europe.
Read moreNew report reveals the ‘dark side’ of EIB funds: how the EU’s bank supports non-transparent investment funds based in tax havens
Press release | 14 September, 2016Counter Balance launches today a new report that critically analyses a little-known part of the European Investment Bank (EIB)’s operations: its use of private equity funds. The report is available for download at http://www.counter-balance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/The-dark-side-of-EIB-funds_report.pdf The report presents a number of statistics and facts about recent investment funds financed by the EIB during the period 2011-2015.
Read moreOmbudsman asks European Investment Bank to act on conflicts of interest issues
Blog entry | 26 July, 2016In a letter to the President of the European Investment Bank from July 22, the European Union’s Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly has asked the bank to review its governance arrangements to help prevent potential conflicts of interest in the bank’s governing bodies.
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