September 24, 2012 | Read more Brussels, Belgium — Today’s General Affairs Council meeting to discuss the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 (MFF) saw further stalemate between those member states seeking to ensure no cuts to the European commission’s outline MFF proposals, and those member states determined that cuts must occur while insisting that the emphasis must instead be on the ‘quality’ of future MFF spending.
September 24, 2012 | Read more Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia — The World Bank Board of Directors has announced plans to consider a copper and gold mining project in the Mongolian South Gobi desert even though the Bank itself acknowledges that there is not enough water in the region to support the life of the Project. Despite ongoing community opposition to Rio Tinto’s Oyu Tolgoi mine and its associated facilities (“OT Project”), the World Bank is considering a financing package of US$900 million in loans and up to US$1 billion in political risk insurance for the OT Project in early November.
September 18, 2012 | Read more Investment data for Mongolia illustrates that without improving the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s plans for the mining sector, the bank may add to the dependence on raw materials exports in resource rich countries.
September 17, 2012 | Read more Warsaw – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is considering participating in a EUR 772 million loan for a subsidiary of major Polish energy group ENEA, whose management is currently being investigated by authorities because of alleged irregularities in management and misuse of public funds.
September 17, 2012 | Read more Alleged corruption at Poland’s second biggest state-owned energy company ENEA S.A. may compromise yet another project financed by European public banks.
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.
Stay informed
Receive our monthly overviews of the latest developments on the ground.
