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Romania and the Energy Union: little more than wishful thinking

14 January, 2016

When Maroš Šefčovič, the Commission’s Vice President for the Energy Union visited Bucharest in October 2015 to discuss Romania’s role in the overhaul of Europe’s energy sector, his speech seemed promising at first. It focused on renewables, energy efficiency and research and innovation – all issues that are rarely on the Romanian public agenda. But eventually, much like the Commission’s assessment for Romania (pdf) that was presented during the visit, the message and its level of ambition felt more like much ado about nothing.

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Guest post: New report shows that New Kosovo Power Plant would worsen poverty and cripple a fragile economy

12 January, 2016

No-one will ‘freeze to death’ if the planned lignite-fired power plant in Kosovo does not receive support from multilateral development banks, but if it does, low-income households may well end up choosing between electricity and food. How can an institution, whose very mission is to end poverty, justify this project?

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Success: 391 hectares of Romanian forest saved in 2015

11 January, 2016

With one more positive court decision just before the end of the year, Bankwatch Romania had a lot to celebrate in 2015.

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Health reports confirmed widespread over-exposure to toxic arsenic at Tsumeb smelter in Namibia

22 December, 2015

Following Bankwatch’s revelations about toxic pollutants at the Tsumeb smelter in Namibia, the smelter’s owner, Canadian mining company Dundee Precious Metals (DPM), contested our findings in Namibian news reports. Without substantiating its claims with facts, however, and in light of the results of local health surveys the company’s reassurances ring hollow and meaningless.

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Romanian court rejects environmental permit, halting destruction of 159 hectares of forests and putting breaks on coal mining expansion

11 December, 2015

Bucharest – A Bucharest court yesterday annulled the environment permit for the felling of another 159 hectares of forest in Gorj country, effectively preventing the expansion of the Roșia lignite mine.

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