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The EU bank’s dubious overseas development experience shows it cannot be a key player in Europe’s response to the plight of refugees – report

The 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.

The report can be found here:
https://bankwatch.org/sites/default/files/going-abroad-EIB.pdf

A blog post with more details can be found here:
https://bankwatch.org/news-media/blog/here-be-dragons-how-eu-banks-development-finance-overlooks-people-risk

The European Investment Bank’s (EIB) 2014-2020 External Landing Mandate (ELM) is currently undergoing a mid-term review by EU institutions – and the European Commission has been the first to release its contribution.

On this occasion, the Commission is seeking to dramatically expand the EIB’s overseas operations by granting the bank extra EUR 3 billion in guarantees under its ELM. The Commission is also proposing to add EUR 2.3 billion in guarantees under this mandate – in total EUR 5.3 billion in guarantees – to address forced displacement that has led people fleeing war and persecution to embark on long, dangerous trips to reach Europe.

For this purpose, the EIB’s proposed “Resilience Initiative” is intended to mobilise billions of euros in private investments in the private and public sectors in the western Balkans and the Middle East and north Africa over the next four years. Yet, the increased guarantee ceilings do not include any concrete provisions to ensure the effectiveness of the bank’s operations.

In addition, the EIB is also set to become a key player in the Commission’s proposal for an “External Investment Plan,” an all-out investment offensive in Africa and in the European Neighbourhood regions meant to stem migration.

But the new report, examining how the EIB has delivered on its ELM so far, reveals that the bank’s lending outside the EU has been plagued by a range of fundamental problems.

The findings presented in the report raise serious concerns about the EIB’s overseas development role including transparency and access to information practices, the bank’s approach to tax evasion and tax dodging, enforcement of sustainability standards, and human rights due diligence.

The EIB still does not have a human rights policy or proper human rights assessment and monitoring system at project level, the report notes, and the bank has repeatedly failed to guarantee sufficient and meaningful community participation in projects it supports.

Based on conclusions from a range of cases, the report also offers a series of detailed recommendations for improving the bank’s performance in a way that can support the EU’s international policies and priorities.

Nevertheless, the report authors warn, the EIB clearly lacks the relevant expertise, capacity and experience required to realise the stated objectives of its Resilience Initiative such as access to education, water and sanitation for the most vulnerable.

Ana-Maria Seman, campaigner at CEE Bankwatch Network and co-author of the report, says:
“The EIB simply lacks the human centred approach that is required for implementing such humanitarian and development projects, especially when it is done through private sector investments.”

Anna Roggenbuck, EIB Policy Officer at CEE Bankwatch Network and co-author of the report, says:
“EU governments, who are shareholders of the EIB, and the European Commission have failed to ensure the bank addresses existing systemic problems in the bank’s external mandate, and now they want to expand it. Until these issues are seriously tackled, no additional guarantees should be given to expand the EIB’s mandate.”

Aleksandra Antonowicz-Cyglicka, campaigner at CEE Bankwatch Network and co-author of the report, says:
“The lack of a human rights policy and proper due diligence at the EIB makes possible strengthening authoritarian regimes, which will do little to help local communities, especially those facing displacement. Europe can surely offer better.”

Xavier Sol, Director of Counter Balance and co-author of the report, says:
“It is seriously questionable whether the EIB, whose business model is geared towards large energy and transport infrastructure projects and indirect support to small and medium enterprises, is really best placed to offer assistance to refugees and host communities.”

For more information contact:

Anna Roggenbuck
EIB Policy Officer, CEE Bankwatch Network
annar@bankwatch.org
Tel: +48 91 831 5392
Twitter: @RoggenbuckA

Xavier Sol
Director, Counter Balance
xavier.sol@counter-balance.org
+32 2 893 08 61
Twitter: @xavier_sol

Ana-Maria Seman
Campaigner, CEE Bankwatch Network
anamaria.seman@bankwatch.org
+40 726 328 802
Twitter: @anna_seman

Overblown job promises in southeast Europe’s coal sector show the need for a just transition – report

Promises for new jobs in south-east Europe’s coal sector are exaggerated, a new Bankwatch report reveals. Hardly any coal operations across the region are economically viable, and as a result many coal workers, especially in the mines, are set to lose their jobs, even if the plans for countless new power plants materialise. Governments, coal workers and their wider communities need to work together towards a just transition.

The report can be downloaded from here:
https://bankwatch.org/sites/default/files/coal-jobs-fraud.pdf

An infographic comparing labour productivity between mines across the region and those of other countries can be found at:

Infographic: The great coal jobs fraud

A blog post with a closer look at some of the mines can be found here:
https://bankwatch.org/news-media/blog/deceptive-promises-new-jobs-coal-sector-dont-help-workers-communities-or-climate

In a first analysis of its kind for the region, Bankwatch’s report explores promises about future jobs in the coal mines and power plants of southeast Europe [1]. The findings show that talk about increasing employment, or even securing the current levels, are in most cases completely unfounded.

The most striking example is the 500 MW Kosovo e-Re power plant. Representatives of ContourGlobal, the only bidder for the project, have been cited in the media claiming 10,000 new jobs will be created during the construction phase, and the plant’s operation could offer employment to 500 people. The new report, however, estimates that, based on recent experience with the Stanari power plant in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the construction of the Kosovo e-Re power plant would require just around 1,600 workers, many of which are likely to be foreign specialists. And if built, the plant is unlikely to employ more than 200 workers.

The report’s conclusions add to growing evidence that coal is also fast becoming a financial liability, in addition to its dire impacts on both public health and the climate.

Most of the mines and power plants in the region are state-owned and are struggling to make a profit. The authors of the report warn that, having committed to join a regional electricity market, the countries can no longer rely on subsidies as a life support for the ailing coal sector.

Around the world, employment in the renewable energy sector continues to rise, the report states, and with the Paris Agreement coming into force earlier this month, the prospects for clean energy investments are bigger than ever. At the same time, governments must make sure that a well-managed, inclusive and just transition takes account of education and training on sustainable energy technologies for workers, as well as plans for decommissioning and rehabilitation for coal mines, power plants and ash dumps. All these have to involve workers and their communities if they are to have any chance of succeeding.

“The fact that southeast Europe’s coal sector will never return to current levels of employment is a massive elephant in the energy policy room. Instead of sleepwalking into a social disaster it’s high time for the authorities to stop pretending and start developing a just transition for workers and their communities who depend on coal”, says Pippa Gallop, Research Co-ordinator at Bankwatch and co-author of the report.

Ioana Ciuta, Energy Co-ordinator at Bankwatch, and co-author of the report says: “Seven EU countries are already coal-free and a growing number of others are making concrete plans to phase out coal. Policy makers have to acknowledge that the demise of coal is inevitable, and it is their responsibility to ensure that workers in the industry are not the ones to pay the price when it eventually shuts down.”

For more information contact:

Pippa Gallop
Research Co-ordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network
pippa.gallop@bankwatch.org
+385 99 755 9787

Ioana Ciuta
Energy Co-ordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network
ioana.ciuta@bankwatch.org
+40 724 020 281
Twitter: @unaltuser

Notes to editors

[1] The report covers Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Kosovo*, Macedonia**, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia.
* According to the UN, Kosovo is “under the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1244.”
** According to the UN, the official name for Macedonia is “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”.

New South East Europe NGO scorecard report shows mixed progress towards a sustainable energy sector


Belgrade, Podgorica, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tirana, Zagreb – Progress – albeit uneven – is being made towards increasing sustainability in South East Europe’s energy sector, according to a new scorecard report launched today by a group of NGOs (1). CO2 emissions, electricity losses and energy intensity have all seen decreases in most countries in the region, but less progress has been made on increasing the share of solar and wind energy and tackling corruption.

The report is available at:
https://bankwatch.org/publications/sustainable-energy-how-far-has-south-east-europe-come-last-five-years

The scorecard, covering seven countries (2) and comparing data from 2010 and 2014/2015, aims to complement the European Commission’s annual progress reports – launched tomorrow. It looks beyond the adoption of legislation to examine concrete changes during the last five years.

Among the findings are:

  • CO2 emissions per capita from fuel combustion decreased between 2010-2014 in all countries except Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania. Serbia’s drop may however have been the result of the 2014 floods.
  • Croatia has the most wind and solar power in the region, with 5.5% of electricity from wind in 2014. Solar generation was at 35 GWh in 2014 – however it has used only a tiny fraction of its potential.
  • Transmission and distribution losses dropped between 2010-2015 in all countries except Albania.
  • Kosovo is the most coal-dependent country in the region, with 97% of electricity from coal in 2014. Macedonia and Serbia are second and third, with 69.5% and 64.8% respectively of their electricity from coal. For comparison, the EU generated 26.3% of electricity from coal in 2014.
  • Energy intensity – the amount of energy needed to produce a unit of GDP – dropped between 2010-2014 in all countries except Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania.
  • Between 2010-2015 all countries except Macedonia and Albania improved their scores in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index – but only slightly.

“It’s reassuring to see that several countries in the region have shown themselves capable of reducing per capita greenhouse gas emissions from fuel combustion. However Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s underperformance is likely to soon become a liability if they don’t take swift action” commented Dragana Mileusnić of Climate Action Network Europe.

“Finally we can see that some progress is being made on energy wastage through transmission and distribution losses and inefficient use in most of the region, but why is Albania failing to take advantage of these low-hanging fruits? Such investments are win-win, there is no excuse to keep haemorrhaging energy”, added Lira Hakani of EDEN Center, Albania.

“It’s disappointing to see that in spite of high interest from investors, there is still hardly any wind and rooftop solar power in the region. All the countries have renewable energy targets to meet by 2020 and solar and wind are two of the energy sources that could still be increased by then if there is political will”, concluded Sonja Risteska of Analytika, Macedonia.

For more information, contact

Ana Ranković
SEE SEP Network Coordinator
E-mail: Ana-Fractal@seechangenet.org
Mob:+381 63 180 33 33

Pippa Gallop
Research Co-ordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network
E-mail: pippa.gallop@bankwatch.org
Mob:+385 99 755 9787

Notes for editors:

(1) South East Europe Sustainable Energy Policy (SEE SEP) is a project with 18 CSO partners from across the region (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo*, Macedonia**, Montenegro and Serbia) and the EU. The SEE SEP project aims to empower CSOs and citizens to better influence policy and practice towards a fairer, cleaner and safer energy future in SEE. The report is supported by the following groups:

SEE Change Net
Analytica (Macedonia)
ATRC (Kosovo)
CEKOR (Serbia)
CPI (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
CZZS (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
DOOR (Croatia)
EDEN (Albania)
Ekolevizja (Albania)
Eko-Svest (Macedonia)
Forum for Freedom in Education (Croatia)
Fractal (Serbia)
Front 21/42 (Macedonia)
Green Home (Montenegro)
MANS (Montenegro)
WWF Adria
CEE Bankwatch Network
CAN Europe

(2) Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo*, Macedonia**, Montenegro and Serbia.

* According to the UN, Kosovo is “under the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1244.”
** According to the UN, the official name for Macedonia is “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”.

Historic win for frontline communities: plans for coal power project in Turkey shelved

Fossil fuel giant SOCAR abandoned coal power project in Aliağa, İzmir

Aliağa, Turkey; Prague; Rome – Communities in Aliağa, Turkey, who have been resisting the construction of coal power plants in the region for decades, have achieved a significant victory. Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy company SOCAR, has decided to shelve plans to construct an integrated 672 MW coal power plant in Aliağa, İzmir.

Aliağa residents have been highly concerned about the plans for new coal power plants in an area already suffering from air pollution and environmental degradation – including tree felling and damage to natural ecosystems – caused by the existing power plants and other nearby industrial facilities. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions from the new plant would have made it particularly difficult for Turkey to meet its international pledge under the Paris climate treaty.

Moreover, SOCAR’s coal power plant was to be constructed in close proximity to the ancient city of Kyme, an archaeological site categorised as top conservation priority, which means that construction or interventions can only be permitted for research and conservation purposes.

Since 2014 civil society groups including CEE Bankwatch Network, Re:common and others have been warning about SOCAR’s fossil fuel projects in Aliağa breaching environmental, social and cultural legislation [1]. In particular, concerned that a refinery project was masking the construction of the coal-fired power plant, the groups have been calling on international financial institutions to withdraw their financial support to these projects.

Seven export credit agencies (ECAs) are financing the refinery project with a total of USD 2.84 billion. These include CESCE, Export Development Canada, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, JBIC, the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation, NEXI, and SACE.

However, in a formal letter sent last week, the seven ECAs stated that SOCAR’s management had decided not to pursue the coal power plant project.

The local campaign against the fossil fuel projects received major support in May 2016, when Aliağa hosted a Break Free from Fossil Fuels rally, organised by a coalition of over 100 Turkish organisations and platforms, and held simultaneously with similar Break Free actions across six continents.

Bahadir Doguturk from the Foça (Izmir) Environment Platform, a local grassroots group, said: “The May 2016 Break Free rally was a new beginning for our collective movement against coal plants. Today it is time to celebrate our victory with this decision. It proves the rightful nature of our resistance against outdated and dirty coal projects. We will continue to fight against plans for 70 other coal projects in Turkey. We will not let companies violate our nature with coal projects, we will continue to fight.”

Ozlem Katisoz, Coal Policy Officer at TEMA, part of the Initiative against Fossil Fuels, said: “Energy corporations are shifting away from coal power plant investments one by one. Coal is becoming history, and SOCAR’s decision is just another proof of this global trend. As part of the global shift from coal to clean energy, Turkey should utilise public resources for energy efficiency and renewables instead of subsidizing coal projects.”

Ioana Ciuta, Energy Co-ordinator at CEE Bankwatch Network, said: “The project promoters eventually made the only rational decision they could. This coal plant has been plagued with so many legal and moral inconsistencies, from excluding it from the refinery project’s EIA documentation and refusing to assess their cumulative environmental and social impacts, to dodging public consultations and overriding cultural heritage regulations that I am surprised it took so long to give it up.”

İbrahim Çiftçi, Sustainable Investments Advisor at Greenpeace Mediterranean, said: “We were lobbying the financiers of the SOCAR STEP since 2014. SOCAR’s decision shows that the era of coal is coming to an end. Instead of pursuing energy policies relying on dirty fossil fuels such as coal, policy makers should focus on sustainable renewable energy resources and energy efficiency. This is the environmentally and economically sensible pathway for the future.”

For more information contact:

Ioana Ciuta
Energy Co-ordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network
ioana.ciuta@bankwatch.org
+40 724 020 281
Twitter: @unaltuser

Antonio Tricarico
Programme Director, Re:Common
atricarico@recommon.org
+39 328.84 85 448
Twitter: @atricarico72

İbrahim Çiftçi
Sustainable Investments Advisor, Greenpeace Mediterranean
ibrahim.ciftci@greenpeace.org
+90 533 283 56 60

Notes to editors:

[1] The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation (the World Bank’s private lending arm) were originally considering financial support to SOCAR’s refinery project, but withdrew in March 2014. It is fair to assume that pressure from international NGOs has been a key factor in their decision.

  • No public announcement has been made by SOCAR. The letter sent by the ECAs can be found at https://bankwatch.org/documents/response-ECAs-Aliaga-18Oct2016.PDF
  • Turkey’s plan for expanding its coal power – with new 67 GW of installed capacity – is the world’s third largest. If materialized, this new coal power could put Turkey among the world’s top five greenhouse gas emitters by 2030.
  • SOCAR’s project in Aliaga, which was to be built just 50 meters from the archeological site of Kyme, was taken to court and the Archaeologists Association made statements about the project. http://iklimadaleti.org/?p=haber&n=aliagada-is-makineleri-arkeolojik-alana-girdi
  • The Break Free actions took place in 13 different countries between 3-15 May 2016, and called on world leaders to take their Paris Agreement promises seriously. On 15 May, more than 2000 people came together in Turkey, coal expansion. For more see here: http://turkey-en.breakfree2016.org/

Azerbaijan’s crackdown on civil society must not be tolerated, international NGOs tell industry transparency body


Prague, Geneva, London – The 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.

The letter and the briefing note can be found here: https://bankwatch.org/publications/letter-extractive-industries-transparency-initiative-board-working-conditions-civil-soc

The EITI board is expected to review Azerbaijan’s membership status tomorrow (Wednesday, October 26), after it has already been downgraded from ‘compliant’ to ‘candidate’ in April 2015 in light of the country’s appalling track record on human rights.

A year and a half later, it is evident that the Azeri government remains defiant, and therefore the international groups urge the board members to suspend Azerbaijan’s membership until the government ensures the ability of activists and rights defenders to operate freely.

The EITI seeks to ensure, among others, an enabling environment for civil society in member countries, but in the letter, the organisations warn that Azerbaijan’s autocratic government continues its ruthless crack down on activists and critics in the country. The letter states that bank accounts of many Azerbaijani NGOs remain frozen, international travel bans have been imposed on a number of NGO leaders, and civil society groups are effectively barred from accessing overseas funding.

Since the October 2015 visit of EITI Chairwoman Clare Short to Azerbaijan, Baku has taken some steps to improve the situation, but in light of the renewed crackdown on civil society in the country in recent months they amount to little more than lip service. Continued government harassment and persecution of NGOs and activists in Azerbaijan, including imprisonment on trumped up charges, prevents them from meaningfully participating in the EITI process.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and his family have built their fortunes and political clout on the country’s oil and gas riches. Now government is promoting the development of the Southern Gas Corridor, a 3500 kilometer long chain of pipelines meant to deliver natural gas to Europe from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz offshore field.

Some of the world’s largest international financial institutes – including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, and the World Bank – are currently considering extending loans to parts of the project at the excess of over USD 3 billion. These multilateral development banks’ own policies oblige them to only support projects that are in line with international public participation and human rights standards.

If the EITI board decides to suspend Azerbaijan’s membership, the banks will no longer be able to ignore the domestic human rights situation in the country.

“To successfully implement the corrective actions outlined by the EITI, the government must demonstrate political will to introduce genuine reforms and create the conditions for developing civil society in the country,” the letter states.

“Although the government faces serious economic problems, it remains unwilling to cooperate with civil society, and continues to violate the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, preventing civil society from meaningfully operating within the country.”

For more information contact:

Emin Huseynov
Director, Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety
Emin@irfs.org
+41(0)788788428
Twitter: @EminAzerbaijan

Katie Morris
Head of Europe and Central Asia, Article 19
katie@article19.org
+44 20 7324 2500
Twitter: @katiekatia

Fidanka Bacheva-McGrath
EBRD Policy Officer, CEE Bankwatch Network
fidankab@bankwatch.org
Twitter: @fidankabmg

Lawsuits and complaints pile up against planned Bosnia and Herzegovina coal power plants

Sarajevo-based environmental watchdog Ekotim has submitted on Friday (October 14) an official complaint to the Energy Community dispute settlement mechanism (1) due to lax pollution limits for a new Chinese-backed 450 MW unit at the Tuzla coal power plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The complaint claims that the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism has failed to require the plant to comply with the Industrial Emissions Directive pollution limits for new plants. Instead the Ministry required only older, less stringent standards for SO2 and dust. As a consequence additional investments may be needed once the plant is built.

This complaint is the latest in a series of legal moves by NGOs against planned new coal power plants (2) in the country due to their adverse health and climate impacts.

The environmental permits for new Tuzla 7 and Banovići power plants in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity have been targeted by three lawsuits at the Sarajevo Cantonal Court requesting the cancellation of the permits that were issued by the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism. In addition, an official complaint against Bosnia and Herzegovina was submitted to the Energy Community Secretariat regarding unclear pollution control limits for the Banovići plant, this July.

In the Republika Srpska entity, a lawsuit against the environmental permit for the recently inaugurated Stanari power plant has been submitted by the Center for Environment for Banja Luka, along with an appeal seeking the cancellation of the environmental permit for the Ugljevik III power plant. The group also filed a complaint to the Energy Community dispute settlement mechanism regarding pollution limits for the Ugljevik III power plant in December 2014.

The latest complaint comes at the time when Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted the Energy Community Ministerial Council meeting (3) in Sarajevo as the culmination of its year-long presidency of the regional energy body. During the meeting, new stricter environmental impact assessment standards were adopted, bringing the Treaty up to date with changes in the EU (4).

“More than ten years since the entry into force of the Energy Community Treaty, the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities have proven themselves incapable or unwilling of correctly implementing one of the most basic obligations of the Treaty – the environmental impact assessment process. Now the Ministerial Council has adopted stricter legislation and our authorities haven’t even managed to properly implement the current obligations”, commented Rijad Tikveša, President of Ekotim.

“We’ve been warning the authorities for several years that under the Energy Community Treaty, any new power plants coming online after 1 January 2018 have to be in line with the EU Industrial Emissions Directive, but the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities have failed to include this requirement in new environmental permits”, he added.

“It’s anyway incomprehensible that the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities are approving new climate- and health-damaging coal power plants at all, when EU climate policies and low electricity prices will almost certainly render them uneconomic. Solar and wind prices are falling rapidly but Bosnia and Herzegovina is failing to take advantage of these plentiful resources”, added Igor Kalaba, Energy and Climate Change Program Coordinator of Center for Environment.

For more information please contact:

Rijad Tikveša
President, Ekotim (Sarajevo)
+387 61 554 302
rijad@ekotim.net

Igor Kalaba
Energy and Climate Change Program Coordinator, Center for Environment (Banja Luka)
+387 51 433 142
igor.kalaba@czzs.org

Pippa Gallop
Research Co-ordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network
+385 99 755 9787
pippa.gallop@bankwatch.org

Notes for editors:

(1) The Energy Community Treaty was signed in 2005 and entered force in 2006. It aims at extending the EU energy market to neighbouring countries by progressively adopting EU energy and environmental legislation. The current Contracting Parties to the Treaty are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine. Georgia was accepted as a Contracting Party on 14 October 2016. The Dispute Settlement Mechanism is a complaints body administered by the Energy Community Secretariat and aims at ensuring the implementation of the required legislation by the Contracting Parties.

(2) The ongoing lawsuits and official complaints comprise:

  • A lawsuit seeking the cancellation of the environmental permit for the planned Tuzla 7 power plant filed to the Sarajevo Cantonal Court by Ekotim on September 29, 2016.
  • A lawsuit seeking the cancellation of the environmental permit for the planned 350 MW Banovići power plant near Tuzla was filed to the Sarajevo Cantonal Court by Ekotim on April 15, 2016.
  • A lawsuit seeking the cancellation of the environmental permit for the Ramići cooling water reservoir was filed to the Sarajevo Cantonal Court by Ekotim on April 18, 2016.
  • A complaint to the Energy Community dispute settlement mechanism regarding pollution limits for the Banovići plant was filed on July 26, 2016.
  • A lawsuit seeking the cancellation of the environmental permit for the recently opened 300 MW Stanari power plant near Doboj was filed by Center for Environment on August 18, 2015.
  • A court appeal seeking the cancellation of the environmental permit for the Ugljevik III power plant was filed by Center for Environment on November 13, 2015.
  • A complaint to the Energy Community dispute settlement mechanism regarding pollution limits for the Ugljevik III power plant was filed by Center for Environment on December 16, 2014.

(3) For the meeting documents see the Energy Community website.

(4) The current version of the Environmental Impact Assessment directive in the Energy Community Treaty is the 1985 version (Council Directive 85/337/EEC amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC and Directive 2003/35/EC). Friday’s decision, which needs to be implemented starting from January 1, 2019, brings the Treaty into line with the 2011 version of the Directive (2011/92/EU amended by 2014/52/EU).