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Planned contract for Plomin C coal plant most likely illegal state aid, says legal analysis


Zagreb, 05.05.2014 – A planned long-term power purchase agreement in which Croatian electricity company HEP will commit to buying at least 50% of electricity from the planned Plomin C power plant [1] for 20-30 years will most likely be illegal under EU state aid rules, according to a new legal analysis by Hungary’s Environmental Management and Law Association (EMLA). [2]

EMLA’s analysis finds that since HEP is state-owned, a long-term power purchase agreement would be considered state aid. State aid provided to economic actors is generally illegal in the EU, however particular aid can still be allowed in certain circumstances. In the case of Plomin C, however, EMLA considers it virtually impossible that HEP could fulfil the necessary criteria for the agreement to be considered legal. This could present a serious obstacle to the project’s implementation.

A tender process is currently ongoing to find a strategic partner for the 500 MW Plomin C coal power plant in Istria. On 1 May the Croatian government reported that three consortia had submitted bids. Although the government said it could not name the companies involved due to the tender rules, local media [3] reported that the consortia consist of Marubeni and Alstom; Daewoo and Croatian pension funds; and Edison and Samsung.

“At a time when starting new coal projects is going seriously out of fashion in the EU (4), the very fact that three consortia have submitted bids shows that HEP must be offering very generous – maybe too generous – incentives to potential investors. However EMLA’s legal analysis raises the question of whether HEP is making promises it cannot keep,” said Bernard Ivcic, President of Zelena akcija/Friends of the Earth Croatia.

“There has been no public debate about what kind of incentives HEP is offering for Plomin C, and what kind of costs this could bring to taxpayers. Considering that Plomin C will cost at least EUR 800 million, it is high time that the public gets to hear exactly what impact this will have on their bills”, concluded Zoran Tomic of Greenpeace Croatia.

*Photos from the presentation of the legal report today in Zagreb are available here: http://zelena-akcija.hr/hr/multimedija/foto/ugovor_za_plomin_c_najvjerojatnije_ce_biti_nelegalan_5_5_2014

Contacts:

Bernard Ivcic
President, Zelena akcija/Friends of the Earth Croatia
Tel.: +385 99/314 9138

Zoran Tomic
Greenpeace Hrvatska
Tel.: +385 91/234 5092

Pippa Gallop
CEE Bankwatch Network
pippa.gallop@bankwatch.org

Notes for the editors:

1. The Croatian Electricity Company Hrvatska Elektroprivreda d.d. (HEP) is planning the expansion of the already existing so-called Plomin A and Plomin B complex with a third unit to be named Plomin C.

Plomin A exists since 1969 while Plomin B exists since 2000. The capacity of Plomin A is 120 MW while the capacity of Plomin B is 210 MW. The planned Plomin C plant would introduce an additional 500 MW electricity generating capacity by 2019.

2. A summary of the legal analysis is available at:
https://bankwatch.org/sites/default/files/PlominC-legalopinion-publicsummary-22Apr2014.pdf

The analysis was carried out on the basis of the June 2012 project prequalification document obtained by Zelena akcija. The prequalification document can now be found online here:
https://bankwatch.org/sites/default/files/Plomin-prequalification-HEP-24Jul2012.pdf

3. See for example:
http://www.vecernji.hr/gospodarstvo/tri-ponudaca-predala-obvezujuce-ponude-za-plomin-c-936037

4. For example, in Germany, plans to construct 21 power plants have been abandoned since 2007 while 5 more have been put on hold for years and only two have started operating. A report by Poyry consultants last year concluded that no new coal plants are likely to be built in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands in the foreseeable future. See


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/poyry-report-to-decc-outlook-for-new-coal-fired-power-stations-in-germany-the-netherlands-and-spain

Closer to Croatia, the Sostanj unit 6 project in Slovenia represents a stark example of what can go wrong with coal projects: Project costs have doubled from around EUR 700 million in 2007 to EUR 1.4 billion in 2013 and the plant is expected to run up annual losses of EUR 50 million. Added to that, investigations into potential corruption around the project are still underway.

https://bankwatch.org/news-media/for-journalists/press-releases/slovenia-continues-fall-economic-abyss-lignite-plant-sosta

Statement on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and threat of war

CEE 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.

Bankwatch argues that, as a part of the EU response, the two European public banks, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, should suspend lending to Russia at least until a solution that is acceptable to both Ukraine and Russia is negotiated for this crisis.

Both institutions have been lending to Russia for years, with the EBRD currently dedicating almost a third of its portfolio to this country.

If the two banks are to resume lending, they should do so after having reviewed their lending practices in such a way as to ensure that the public financing they are channeling to Russia is used to address the concerns of the poorest. Too much of the banks’ lending at the moment serves instead the business interests of Russian elites or foreign corporations without ever trickling down and on occasion even propping up the authoritarian regime.

Over 40 MEPs from across the political spectrum pledge to stand-up for citizens and democracy against excessive corporate lobbying


Today, the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), AK EUROPA (Brussels office of the Austrian Chamber of Labour) & ÖGB Europabüro (Brussels office of the Austrian Trade Union Federation), together with a broad coalition of civil society organisations from across Europe, are launching their campaign to urge candidates for the upcoming European elections to “stand-up for citizens and democracy against the excessive lobbying influence of banks and big business”. [1]

Prominent MEPs have already signed-up to the Politics for People campaign. These include: Ska Keller, joint European Commission President candidate for the Greens; Gabi Zimmer, leader of the GUE-NGL bloc; Evelyn Regner from the Socialists Group; Monica Macovei from the European People’s Party; and Corinne Lepage from ALDE; with over 40 MEPs signed-up in total. [2]

“Seven out of 10 European citizens are concerned about the excessive influence of industry lobbying on EU decision-making here in Brussels, and rightly so. Too many of our laws have the fingerprints of big business lobbyists all over them – from climate to public health to trade. We need MEPs who will defend the public interest and stand-up for people over profit”, said Olivier Hoedeman from Corporate Europe Observatory, a steering committee member of ALTER-EU. [3]

“Lobbying will be a hot topic both during and after the elections, which is why it’s encouraging to see a wide range of MEPs already committed to tackling the issue. We hope that more candidates from across the political spectrum will join the Politics for People campaign, sign the pledge and agree to take strong action, if elected, to defend the public interest against excessive lobbying” , points out Pam Bartlett Quintanilla of Access Info Europe, another Steering Committee member of ALTER-EU.

The centrepiece of the campaign is an interactive website www.politicsforpeople.eu which any EU citizen can use to directly contact their European candidates and invite them to sign the pledge. The website features case studies explaining how excessive industry lobbying impacts upon the daily lives of ordinary EU citizens, as well as information about how MEPs can stand-up to it. A campaign video will explain the problem of corporate lobbying and feature four MEPs endorsing the pledge. [4]

The Politics for People campaign has partners in 19 member states; a full list is available on-line. [5] Across Europe, members of the Politics for People coalition will be holding election debates, speaker tours and other activities to raise the issue of excessive and untransparent lobbying in the EU and to propose solutions.

“It is essential that we tackle the problem of excessive lobbying from banks and big business in Brussels. In the past few years we have seen big banks avoid effective regulation after the financial crisis!”, said Amir Ghoreishi of AK EUROPA, one of the supporting organisations behind the campaign. “In addition, the processed food industry defeated proposals for health labels on packaging; climate policies have been downgraded; and EU trade deals (like the current proposed EU-US deal) consistently put profits before people,” said Max Bank of LobbyControl in Cologne, another steering committee member of ALTER-EU.

You can follow the campaign on twitter (@altereu) and via the hashtag #pforp. To find out more about the campaign, please visit
http://www.politicsforpeople.eu

Contact details:

Pam Bartlett Quintanilla, Access Info Europe (Madrid)
pam at access-info.org
Tel.: +34 699 354 215

Olivier Hoedeman, Corporate Europe Observatory (Brussels)
olivier at corporateeurope.org
Tel.: +32 474 48 65 45

Max Bank, LobbyControl (Cologne)
m.bank at lobbycontrol.de
Tel.: +49 (0) 221 169 6507

Notes for editors:

[1] ALTER-EU is a coalition of about 200 civil society groups, trade unions, academics and public affairs firms campaigning against the increasing influence exerted by corporate lobbyists on the political agenda in Europe. The official Politics for People campaign website is: www.politicsforpeople.eu

[2] The list of MEPs who have signed (as of 10 April) is as follows: Jan Philipp Albrecht, Martina Anderson, Margrete Auken, Sandrine Bélier, Victor Bostinaru, Nessa Childers, Dennis De Jong, Martin Ehrenhauser, Bas Eickhout, Saïd El Khadraoui, Sven Giegold, Ana Gomes, Roberto Gualtieri, Mikael Gustafsson, Karin Kadenbach, Ska Keller, Jurgen Klute, Jean Lambert, Jörg Leichtfried, Corinne Lepage, Ulrike Lunacek, Monica Macovei, Martina Michels, Paul Murphy, Younous Omarjee, Ioan Mircea Pascu, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Cristian Dan Preda, Evelyn Regner, Michèle Rivasi, Rina Ronja Kari, Judith Sargentini, Helmut Scholz, Bart Staes, Catherine Stihler, Theodor Dumitru Stolojan, Keith Taylor, Helga Truepel, Claude Turmes, Kathleen Van Brempt, Josef Weidenholzer and Gabi Zimmer.

[3] The EU Citizens Opinion Poll, January 2013

[4] The campaign video can be viewed here:

[5] CEE Bankwatch Network is one of the supporters of the campaign. A full list of the Politics for People supporting organisations is available here:
http://politicsforpeople.eu/en/about-us/

New Balkan lignite plants may breach EU pollution legislation before they even operate (legal analysis + video)


Brussels, April 2 — A series of at least five new lignite power plants planned in Western Balkan countries which aspire to European Union membership [1] risk violating Energy Community pollution legislation before they even start generating electricity, warns a new legal briefing [2] by EU-based legal organisation Frank Bold, published today.


Bankwatch’s Pippa Gallop explains the findings of the legal analysis. (Link to video)

As a result of commitments made under the Energy Community Treaty in October 2013 [3], new power plants in the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine will have to comply with the latest EU pollution control legislation – Chapter III of the Industrial Emissions Directive [4] – by 2018.

Due to the fact that it takes around four years to construct a power plant, any plants that have not started construction yet will enter operation only after 2018, and need to have the appropriate pollution control technology built into the planning and permitting process in order to avoid unexpected extra costs to retrofit the plants later.

The Frank Bold expert analysis shows, however, that at least five plants across the Western Balkans — notably in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro – may not be in line with the relevant parts of the EU Industrial Emissions Directive if constructed as planned today.

“What this means in practice is that there is a high risk of unforeseen additional costs to the investors in these plants as well as consumers of electricity, as developers may have to scramble to make last minute technological adaptations to ensure compliance with the IED as we get closer to 2018,” commented Kristína Šabová of Frank Bold.

“What governments in the region need to understand is that there is no option of going around the IED requirements for new plants after 2018, and that failure to plan ahead now may cost heavily later.”

The most stark example of non-compliance with the IED is EFT’s Stanari lignite power plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina – currently under construction – whose environmental permit allows it to emit 2-3 times more SO2, NOx and dust than even the currently binding legislation adopted by the Energy Community (the IED implies a tightening of current standards). This led to an official complaint being submitted to the Energy Community Secretariat by Banja-Luka-based Center for Environment in January this year. [5] The complaint is currently under examination.

Pippa Gallop of CEE Bankwatch Network commented: “Despite the clear European trend of moving away from coal, Balkan governments still have big plans in this sector. If these projects go ahead, compliance with the Industrial Emissions Directive is now the legal minimum condition that needs to be adhered to for anyone still considering coal investments.”

“Balkan authorities had better be advised that the IED is not the end of the story: countries wanting to join the EU can expect further environmental and climate legislation changes which will almost certainly affect their coal investment,” adds Gallop. “In this region too, governments and investors need to understand that building new coal plants is no longer a good investment option, considering the climate and health costs and the high failure rate of such projects.” [6]

The Frank Bold legal briefing is available here: https://bankwatch.org/sites/default/files/FrankBold-briefing-EnCom-IED-02April2014.pdf

Contacts

Kristína Šabová, Frank Bold
kristina.sabova at frankbold.org
Tel.: +420 720 565 672

Pippa Gallop, CEE Bankwatch Network
kristina.sabova at frankbold.org
Tel.: +385 99 755 9787

Notes for editors

[1] The plants which have reached a stage where information is available about their potential pollution levels are:

  • Tuzla 7, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Banovici, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Stanari, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
  • Ugljevik III, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
  • Pljevlja II, Montenegro
  • Kolubara B, Serbia
  • Kostolac B3, Serbia

The plants most likely to be non-compliant with the Industrial Emissions Directive are:

  • Tuzla 7, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Banovici, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Stanari, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
  • Pljevlja II, Montenegro
  • Kolubara B, Serbia

Ugljevik III and Kostolac B3 have pledged compliance although no adequate examination of the proposed technology’s ability to meet the pollution limits has been published.

[2] Read the briefing here:
https://bankwatch.org/sites/default/files/FrankBold-briefing-EnCom-IED-02April2014.pdf

http://frankbold.org/en/

Frank Bold is a legal organisation operating six branches in three EU countries. Since 1995, Frank Bold serves individuals, municipalities and businesses. It promotes corporate and governmental accountability, and provides legal support to civil society in human rights, environmental and anti-corruption cases.

[3] http://www.energy-community.org/portal/page/portal/ENC_HOME/AREAS_OF_WORK/Environment/LCP

[4] DIRECTIVE 2010/75/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control),
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:334:0017:0119:en:PDF

Summary of Industrial Emissions Directive:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/pollutants/stationary/ied/legislation.htm

[5] https://bankwatch.org/news-media/for-journalists/press-releases/bosnia-and-herzegovina-breaches-energy-community-treaty-co

[6] The Western Balkan countries have not yet adopted greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, which will make it tougher for them to catch up with the EU’s decarbonisation goals. In addition the EU’s reference documents on Best Available Techniques is currently being updated and this is likely to bring stricter standards on emissions from coal power plants when it is finalised, possibly in 2015.

In Germany alone, plans to construct 21 power plants have been abandoned since 2007 while 5 more have been put on hold for years and only two have started operating. A report by Poyry consultants last year concluded that no new coal plants are likely to be built in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands in the foreseeable future. See

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/poyry-report-to-decc-outlook-for-new-coal-fired-power-stations-in-germany-the-netherlands-and-spain

Closer to the region, the Sostanj unit 6 project in Slovenia represents a stark example of what can go wrong with lignite projects even without legislative changes involved: Project costs have doubled from around EUR 700 million in 2007 to EUR 1.4 billion in 2013 and the plant is expected to run up annual losses of EUR 50 million. Added to that, investigations into potential corruption around the project are still underway.
https://bankwatch.org/news-media/for-journalists/press-releases/slovenia-continues-fall-economic-abyss-lignite-plant-sosta

Proposed EU loan would make Tunisia’s debt problems worse, say CSOs

– 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.

The loan – which comes with numerous economic and trade conditions attached – is due to be voted on in plenary by the Parliament on the 16th of April. CSOs argue that only debt relief and assistance in the form of grants and capacity building for the Tunisian institutions can lead to the economic recovery and democratic reform that Europe has promised to support. [*]

Tunisia is already paying off debts generated under the Ben Ali regime to France and several multilateral development institutions such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the European Investment Bank. The latter received EUR 149 million (325 million Tunisian Dinars) in debt repayments in 2011 [1] alone, and that figure is rising.

Last year Tunisia made repayments of EUR 330 million [2] in international debt. In total it pays more to its Western creditors in repayments and interest than it receives in the form of loans or grants.

Fathi Chamkhi of RAID (a Tunisian association member of the Networks CADTM and ATTAC): “This EU loan – which is labeled as ‘assistance’ – would have to be repaid and would mean Tunisia is even more in debt. Tunisia’s existing debt burden was built up under the former dictatorship of Ben Ali, and a significant part of it can be labeled as ‘odious’ – as the European Parliament stated in its resolution of 10th May 2012 – and thus must not be put on the shoulders of the Tunisian people. Perhaps one of the most perverse aspects of this new loan is that 85% would be used to repay debt to EU Member States and the EIB, debt that has been generated by a corrupt, dictatorial regime.”

Kuba Gogolewski from CEE Bankwatch Network: “Everybody knows that lending more to repay outstanding debt is a vicious circle. Debt relief is the only way to break this dynamic. Europe knows this very well. In early 1990s Poland’s foreign debt was cut in half by the Paris Club and the London Club. It provided the oxygen for economic recovery. Remarkably, it is not part of the deal this time.”

Bodo Ellmers from the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad) said: “Instead provide support in the form of grants with no strings attached. The young European democracies received generous assistance from the U.S. in the form of the Marshall Plan after World War II. Such assistance enabled European nations to have a fresh start. Today, it is Europe’s turn to support countries like Tunisia which are emerging from decades of dictatorial rule. The EU should not impose macroeconomic conditionality on their partners.”

CSOs are also calling on the EU to provide support for Tunisia in the form of grants and capacity building with no strings attached.

Notes to Editors:

[*] Following the popular uprisings in Tunisia in early 2011, Catherine Ashton and the European Commission promised to put extra billions on the table to support a transition towards ‘deep democracy’. However the majority of these funds came in the form of loans through the European Investment Bank and the World Bank.

1. Details of the debt owed by Tunisia to each institution (Banque Centrale de Tunisie, Dette extérieure de la Tunisie 2011, p20)

2. The planned EU loan comes together with a stringent set of conditions, namely those already imposed by the IMF program. These “structural reforms” aim at drastically reducing subsidies to foodstuffs and energy, despite the fact that a large part of the population rely on those subsidies to escape extreme poverty. A tax policy reform is also planned, but alas not to improve tax justice but exactly the opposite, by bringing the tax rates of the Tunisian “onshore” business sector closer to the “offshore” sector (in effect bringing business taxation to levels close to a 0% rate). Finally, a heavy contribution by the Tunisian public finances is foreseen to bail out three major banks, but the details of the audit of these banks mismanagements are to remain secret, at the request of the IMF.
These conditions are tragically ironic, inasmuch as they replicate classic austerity measures which have been recognized as failures by the IMF itself in the Greek case. They also in effect force the Tunisian people to apply one type of neoliberal policy, instead of being free to exercise the right, conquered at such a heavy price, of democratically choosing its own social and economic model.

For further information, or to request an interview, please contact:

Kuba Gogolewski
North Africa Coordinator for Bankwatch
kuba.gogolewski at bankwatch.org
Tel.: +32 2 893 10 35

Fathi Chamkhi
RAID (a Tunisian association member of the Networks CADTM and ATTAC)
Tel.:+21 6 55 52 23 78

Julia Ravenscroft
Communications Manager, Eurodad
Tel.: + 32 2 893 0854
jravenscroft at eurodad.org

This press release was issued by the following organisations:

EcoConscience (Tunisia)
OTC (l’Organisation tunisienne pour la citoyennete)
RAID (a Tunisian association member of the Networks CADTM and ATTAC)
Rencontre Citoyenne de Lutte contre la Dictature de la Dette
UDC (Union des diplomes chomeurs)
UGET (l’Union generale des etudiants de Tunisie)
Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND)
Both Ends
CADTM (Comité pour l’Annulation de la Dette du Tiers Monde)
CEE Bankwatch Network
CNCD-11.11.11. (Centre national de coopération au développement)
CounterBalance
DDCI – Debt and Development Coalition Ireland
Egyptian Centre for Environmental and Social Rights (ECESR)
European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad)
Jubilee Debt Campaign
The Norwegian Coalition for Debt Cancellation (SLUG)
ODG (Observatorio de la Deuda en la Globalizacion)
Platform London
Re:Common
Urgewald
WEED

Failure to keep up with EU climate and energy policies will move South East Europe away from the EU, say NGOs


As the EU Council tomorrow debates A framework for climate and energy in the period from 2020 to 2030 [1], proposed by the European Commission, NGOs today called for much stronger environmental and climate commitments in the upcoming revised Treaty of Energy Community, which brings together the Western Balkan countries, Ukraine and Moldova, during a public hearing taking place in the European Parliament.

The EC’s climate proposal calls for a binding target of 40% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 and has been criticised by the European Parliament and others for its lack of ambition. Therefore, all eyes will be turned to the European Heads of States tomorrow, when they convene to further discuss the future of EU climate and energy policy. Although most of the countries of the Energy Community are striving to become EU members in the next decade – Serbia and Montenegro have already opened negotiations while others are expected to follow – none of the countries have adopted greenhouse gas reductions targets.

Garret Tankosić-Kelly, Principal of SEE Change Net, and one of the panelists at today’s hearing An Energy Community for the Future, emphasizes that failure to adopt EU 2020, 2030 and 2050 targets will only move South East Europe away from the EU path. “SEE countries want to be part of the EU, and not taking on these standards now will make it harder and more expensive to do so in the future. A week might be a long time in politics, but a decade is nothing in energy planning. This is the conflict of interests we face.”

The case of Croatia has clearly demonstrated what kind of drastic changes countries will face with adapting their legislation according to the EU acquis, leaving limited space for public participation and a number of uncertainties in fulfilling the obligations, particularly those related to climate and energy.

However, the Energy Community has so far been largely focused on transposition and implementation of the EU energy acquis while only patchy bits of environmental legislation have been adopted.

“It is essential to include the whole range of Directives covering industrial emissions and air quality, but also energy-related water, waste and habitats legislation [2] if the Energy Community is to be part of a European energy market with a level playing field for all participants”, commented Angela Klauschen, a policy expert at the World Wide Fund For Nature. “Signatory countries must comply with all relevant EU social, environmental and climate legislation through automatic and systematic updates of the Treaty. The current situation, in which only a small portion of the acquis has been adopted by the Energy Community countries means that there is a danger of ‘emissions leakage’ [3] or ‘energy grabbing’ [4]”, she added.

We believe that countries of the region should be supported with development of their energy strategies in line with long-term EU goals [5], in order to ensure that only appropriate investments leading to decarbonisation and the sustainable use of renewable resources are encouraged. This approach would enable social and economic cohesion and distribution of benefits from energy production and consumption, which would tackle energy poverty and enable an increase in sustainable employment.

“No true progress and democratization of our societies can be achieved without an open and frank debate of all actors”, said Dragana Mileusnić of Climate Action Network Europe. “Thus, we call for civil society representatives from various sectors to be allowed to participate at Energy Community meetings and for implementation of the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment Directive. Finally, we call for stronger measures against corruption and illegal subsidies in the energy sector”, she concluded.

Contacts

Masha Durkalić
SEE Change Net Communication Officer
masha at seechangenet.org
Tel.: +387 63 999 827

Dragana Mileusnić
Energy Policy Officer for South East Europe, Climate Action Network
dragana at caneurope.org
Tel.: +32 471 438 442

Bojan Stojanović
Communications Officer, WWF Mediterranean Programme
bstojanovic at wwf.panda.org
Tel.: +385 95 598 14 58

Ioana Ciuta
Energy Coordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network
ioana.ciuta at bankwatch.org
Tel.: + 40 724 020 281

Notes for editors

[1] For more information please see:
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/doc/2030/com_2014_15_en.pdf

[2] For more information, please refer to NGOs briefing on the Future of the Energy Community:
http://www.env-health.org/IMG/pdf/future_of_the_energy_community_-_policy_briefing_20feb2014.pdf

[3] Emissions leakage occurs when there is an increase in carbon dioxide emissions in one country as a result of an emissions reduction by a second country with a more stringent climate policy.

[4] “Energy grabbing” refers to the practice of importing energy from countries without adequate benefit-sharing with the population of the exporting country. This may refer to exporting energy while the population does not have adequate access to energy; while the population does not enjoy adequate financial benefits from the export; or while the population suffers undue costs such as environmental or health damage, forced land expropriation or restrictions on freedom in order to provide energy exports.

[5] For more information, please consult EU Energy 2050 Roadmap:
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/energy2020/roadmap/doc/roadmap2050_ia_20120430_en.pdf

SEE SEP partner organizations:

SEE Change Net (regional)
Analytica (Macedonia)
ATRC (Kosovo)
Cekor (Serbia)
Public interest Advocacy Centre – CPI (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Center for Environment – CZZS (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
DOOR (Croatia)
EDEN (Albania)
Ekolevizja (Albania)
Eko-Svest (Macedonia)
Forum for Freedom of Education – FSO (Croatia)
Fractal (Serbia)
Front 21/42 (Macedonia)
Green Home (Montenegro)
MANS (Montenegro)
CEE Bankwatch Network (regional)
WWF (regional)