September 13, 2012 | Read more Brussels — At least 172 billion euros need to be invested in energy efficiency and renewables in central and eastern Europe over the next seven years to kick start the decarbonisation of the region and create hundreds of thousands of much needed jobs, shows a study published today by CEE Bankwatch Network [1]. The next EU budget (2014-2020) could contribute to these needs if current short-sighted attempts by some member states to cut the overall size of the budget are prevented.
August 29, 2012 | Read more The putting on hold (for now) of another waste incinerator project confirms a negative assessment of the Czech Republic’s performance in waste management. And still, the Czech government fails to grasp that the only properly sustainable way forward is investment in recycling and waste reduction.
August 23, 2012 | Read more A recent audit showed that Ukraine lacks good management at least as much as finances to reform its energy sector. EU money is meanwhile siding with a tainted company.
August 17, 2012 | Read more The increasing popularity of a ‘low-carbon economy’ rhetoric calls for robust assessments of the carbon intensity of EU funded projects. Otherwise the potential that lies in the concept may get diluted by conflicting interests.
August 10, 2012 | Read more Europe’s anti-crisis measures include efforts to increase private investments in public infrastructure. Yet, a backlash against public-private partnerships in Portugal is a warning against putting too much faith in this approach.
July 31, 2012 | Read more The company hired to build a new unit at the Sostanj lignite power plant is involved in strikingly similar corruption cases across continents.
July 26, 2012 | Read more The EBRD’s claims it has helped turn Serbia into a “role model for social inclusion of Roma” ring hollow in light of the plethora of abuses of Romas’ rights in other cases in Serbia.
July 20, 2012 | Read more Shifting gears from the austerity years, EU leaders recently proposed injecting EUR 120 billion into the European economy.
July 20, 2012 | Read more A state guarantee law supporting the construction of a 600 MW lignite plant at Sostanj in Slovenia (TES 6) was passed this week despite allegations of corruption against the management of the company remaining unsettled. Even more, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) recently opened an official investigation into TES 6. (1)
July 13, 2012 | Read more When the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invest money in our countries, they are often expected to promote good practices in the projects they support.
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