Updates on the European Investment Bank

Polish Presidency highlights EU climate paradox

As Poland starts its EU Presidency today, serious doubts loom over its willingness to provide ambitious leadership on EU climate policies. Paradoxically, it is the EU’s own public banks which are sponsoring the country’s unfettered coal industry, the root cause of Polish climate scepticism.

Video: Polish perspectives on the EU presidency

Today Poland takes the helm of the EU presidency, but the country’s recent move to unilaterally block a 25 percent reduction target for EU carbon emissions has solidified expectations that Poland would hinder a more ambitious EU climate policy agenda.

Civil society groups in the Arab region say Western financial aid plan could divert the revolutions’ goals of economic and social justice

Arab civil society and international NGOs are opposing the EU and US backed financial aid package for post-revolutionary countries in their region on the grounds that it could damage the democratic transitions and divert the revolutions’ goals of economic and social justice.

Deja-vu in Belgrade

Bankwatch’s coordinator in Serbia Zvezdan Kalmar finds himself in a situation similar to the one when campaigning on the Gazela bridge project: Roma families live in uncertainty about when they’ll be resettled to make way for road construction, all the while with little influence about how decisions are made.

Letter reiterating Vinci’s failure to respect Global Compact commitments on human rights

Bankwatch and the Movement to Defend Khimki Forest wrote to the Global Compact on 28th March 2011 regarding Vinci’s non-compliance with its Global Compact Commitments in relation to the first section of the Moscow – St. Petersburg motorway project. Our letter subsequently formed the basis of an enquiry to Vinci by the Business and Human Rights and Human Resource Centre, to which Vinci responded on 26th April 2011. Having carefully reviewed Vinci’s response, we still believe that the company is not in compliance with its Global Compact commitments.

Arab civil society and international groups against diverting the revolutions’ economic and social justice goals through conditionalities imposed by international financial institutions

Police investigates irregularities at TES 6 in Slovenia

Ljubljana, Slovenia — The Slovenian police confirmed June 7 that it was looking into allegations of mismanagement at coal plant Sostanj, including serious questions over the building of new lignite block TES 6.

EIB transport lending is not just on a wrong track but hardly on tracks at all

Bankwatch’s EIB team leader Anna Roggenbuck, on her way to consultations on the European Investment Bank’s transport policy, has crunched the numbers of the bank’s transport sector lending. The result: while exhibiting a strong faith in future technological solutions the EIB is fuelling increased carbon emissions across Europe.

Bankwatch Mail 48

On the occasion of the EBRD’s 20th anniversary, Bankwatch Mail is complemented by a range of personal reflections from people both within and beyond central and eastern Europe, people who have worked directly on issues related to the EBRD, or who have studied the bank’s impacts.

Slovenian government drops support for Sostanj coal plant; European public banks must follow suit

Ljubljana, Slovenia — CEE Bankwatch Network and Slovene NGO FOCUS are calling on the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to review their plans to provide 650 million euros in loans for the controversial 600 MW TES 6 block at Slovenian lignite plant Sostanj.