New online toolkit to help tackle the Kings of Coal in southeast Europe and Turkey
Blog entry | 5 May, 2014Coal investments are a dying breed in many countries, but some investors are still ready to try their luck in southeast Europe and Turkey. For campaigners who want to communicate with these actors Bankwatch has developed the user-friendly online toolkit Kings of Coal in three languages.
Read moreStatement on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and threat of war
Press release | 29 April, 2014CEE Bankwatch Network strongly condemns the Russian government’s military invasion and annexation of Crimea and Sebastopol. We hope that in the end the voices of those who have been demonstrating for peace in Moscow and elsewhere, in both Russia and Ukraine, will prevail. The European Union has already responded to the Crimean declaration of independence by announcing travel bans and bank account freezes for 48 individuals from Russia and Ukraine linked to the Crimean breakaway.
Read moreProposed EU loan would make Tunisia’s debt problems worse, say CSOs
Press release | 28 March, 2014– MEPs to vote on new loan in April. – Tunisia is already paying more to its Western creditors than it receives in loans and grants, and almost all of the new loan would be used for debt repayments. Civil society groups from Tunisia and Europe are urging the European Parliament to concentrate on debt relief instead of voting through a EUR 300 million loan to Tunisia, arguing that this will only add to the country’s huge existing debt burden.
Read moreThe EIB’s double standard for human rights in Ukraine and Egypt
Blog entry | 24 February, 2014While drawing concrete consequences from the violence that happened in Ukraine, the European Investment Bank seems to be unmindful of the ongoing human rights abuses and killings in Egypt.
Read moreEIB commits to review tax haven policy
Blog entry | 14 February, 2014During the annual meeting between civil society and the EIB’s Board of Directors, the European Investment Bank committed to review its outdated tax haven policy this year. The commitment which followed a letter from several NGOs expressing such demand, is the most concrete outcome of the meeting which took place on 3rd February in the bank’s headquarters in Luxemburg.
Read moreCharts: The two worlds of EIB climate action
Blog entry | 3 February, 2014Our analysis of the latest available lending figures from the European Investment Bank show a striking imbalance between what was invested towards climate adaptation and mitigation in old and new EU Member States.
Read moreGuest post: A Balkan lesson for coal investors
Blog entry | 28 January, 2014When Dr. Kim, President of the World Bank, and leaders of other international financial institutions ponder funding new coal power projects this year – like the one in Kosovo – there’s one word that should be seared into their memories: Sostanj.
Read moreUPDATED: Slovenia continues to fall into the economic abyss of the lignite plant at Sostanj
Press release | 24 January, 2014Ljubljana – The scandal-marred lignite plant TES 6 at Sostanj in Slovenia will likely cost 1.44 billion euros (2 billion US), more than double than what was initially predicted, and is due to produce annual losses of 50 million euros, show calculations recently revealed by Slovenian media. These cost escalations, predicted by NGOs critical of the project, should constitute a word of caution for other countries in South-Eastern Europe that are considering building new coal capacities.
Read morePPPs a threat to national security, says Czech national security service BIS
Blog entry | 21 November, 2013The complicated nature, hidden future debts and other characteristics of public-private partnerships have led the Czech Republic’s national security service to consider them a potential threat to public interests.
Read moreFunny business as usual in the Czech Republic – one of the biggest fines in EU funds history handed out to Prague metro project
Blog entry | 13 November, 2013The manipulation of a tender for a metro line extension in Prague – financially supported via EU funds and the European Investment Bank (EIB) has not only resulted in a huge EU funds fine, but also raises questions about the EIB’s ability to identify and avoid mismanagement in the infrastructure projects it finances.
Read more