EU Cohesion Policy deal done, but not dusted
Press release | 20 November, 2013Strasbourg, France – Following final agreement today by the European Parliament on EU Cohesion Policy spending for the next seven years, CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe are calling on eastern European countries to now make the most of the funds available and commit to quality spending.
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Funny 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.
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Same old, same old – No signs yet that Bulgaria is getting real about how to spend its future EU budget money
Blog entry | 31 October, 2013With less than three months to go until the 2014-2020 EU budgetary period gets underway, a Bulgarian Partnership Agreement is being discussed with the European Commission – but the less said about it the better. In the spirit, though, of a country where a shake of the head means ‘Yes’, we have chosen to spill the beans at some length on where familiar mistakes are being taken, and where they may lead.
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“Move over Poland!” Czech parliament bids for EU ‘dirty energy’ crown, as renewables subsidies make way for fossil fuels
Blog entry | 16 September, 2013A new law that will redraw the Czech Republic’s approach to renewable energy is suspected to bring the development of the Czech renewables sector to a standstill and instead provide a boost for the country’s fossil fuel sector.
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A comeback to Polish prime minister Tusk’s backing of coal
Blog entry | 13 September, 2013“Poland will continue to back coal (…) The future of Polish energy is in brown and black coal, as well as shale gas,” said on Tuesday Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, speaking at an event of the extractive industry.
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Charts: Financial allocations for Cohesion Policy
Blog entry | 29 August, 2013Cohesion Policy decisions are heating up at national level while financial allocations for the period 2014-2020 have been published this week.
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All at SEA – key assessment of EU funds programmes in Latvia fails to address environmental concerns, opportunities
Blog entry | 15 August, 2013There is a big long list of technical jargon attached to the programming documents of the EU funds for the 2014-2020 funding period – enough to fill an entire blog post on its own. But you will be relieved to read that, in the context of Latvia’s ongoing negotiations as to how we will spend our future EU budget money, I will focus on only one of these items. It may be a bit of a mouthful, but it is what it says it is – only in Latvia, as environmental NGOs are discovering, what should be a safeguard for the environment appears to have gone missing.
Read moreEnvironment ‘hollowed-out’ of future Cohesion Policy – NGOs slam EP vote
Press release | 10 July, 2013Brussels, July 10, 2013 – The green potential of a third of Europe’s budget for 2014-2020 has been hollowed-out following a vote in the European Parliament today, according to Bankwatch and Friends of the Earth Europe. The committee for regional development (REGI) has approved proposals to reform EU Structural Funds – money intended to improve the economic well-being of regions – which include a last-minute shift from legally-binding to voluntary environmental spending.
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Democratising Cohesion Policy – Slovakia not ready to put EU funds spending in citizens’ hands
Blog entry | 10 July, 2013With today’s approval of the watered down proposals to reform EU Structural Funds in the European Parliament’s committee for regional development (see our press release), EU decision makers have taken a step away from ambitious environmental spending in the future Cohesion Policy. At the same time also national level allocation of the 2014-2020 funds is starting to take shape. But efforts to get the funds working sustainably for, and on behalf of, needy local communities are being thwarted in Slovakia – for a range of all too familiar reasons.
Read moreDecisive European Parliament Vote on the future Cohesion Policy expected tomorrow
Press release | 9 July, 2013Brussels, July 9, 2013 – The European Parliament’s committee for regional development (REGI) will vote tomorrow on the European Commission’s proposals to reform EU Structural Funds. If approved, the watered-down text will significantly dampen Europe’s potential to promote renewables and energy savings, according to Bankwatch and Friends of the Earth Europe.
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