December 1, 2018 | Read more Katowice – At the UN climate summit (COP 24) it is hosting, Poland has invited heads of state to adopt a ministerial Solidarity and Just Transition Declaration [1], calling for a fair deal to coal workers and communities affected by the energy transition. But the Polish government has no plans for any such transition – instead it remains keen to keep the country’s reliance on coal for decades to come. The Declaration is therefore nothing more than a mirage.
November 29, 2018 | Read more The Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities and the Energy Community Secretariat have signed a settlement agreement regarding the environmental impact assessment for the planned Ugljevik III coal-fired power plant, in which Bosnia and Herzegovina committed not to use the environmental permit issued as a result of the procedure. [1]
November 28, 2018 | Read more With construction advancing in Bulgaria’s Kresna gorge, discussion happening now at the Bern Convention in Strasbourg having taken on an increased sense of urgency.
November 19, 2018 | Read more Germany pioneered broad support measures for renewable energy by the late 1990s. These measures, referred to as Energiewende or ‘energy transformation’, offer a valuable insight for other countries, which introduced support mechanisms for renewable energy later or have not done so yet.
November 15, 2018 | Read more Villagers in rural Olyanytsya, in central Ukraine, are hopeful that village life is about to become a lot more bearable. After putting up with intense heavy vehicle traffic from the industrial farming operations of agro-giant Mironivsky Hliboproduct (MHP) for years, the company has finally finished building a bypass road to divert traffic around residential areas.
November 14, 2018 | Read more Successive international analyses have cast serious doubts over the financial viability of the planned Nenskra plant. While the Georgian government keeps the project’s contract confidential, a leaked World Bank report offers a scathing account of the fiscal implications of this hydropower development.
November 13, 2018 | Read more Brussels – In a step backwards for the EU bank’s transparency and accountability, the Board of Directors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved a controversial new policy [1] of its Complaints Mechanism, a move that will take the bank further away from the communities affected by its operations – say NGOs.
November 13, 2018 | Read more Following the World Bank’s recent statement [1] that it will not provide support for the 500 MW New Kosovo coal power plant, the EBRD has now followed suit by confirming that it is not considering support for the project.
November 12, 2018 | Read more The quasi state-owned Czech energy company ČEZ is up to its old tricks again. It celebrates a 30 % reduction in emissions, praising the public free allowances, and conveniently forgets to link the drop in emissions with the sale of some of its largest power plants.
November 1, 2018 | Read more Facing numerous economic and environmental challenges, Romania’s energy industry needs a coherent, sustainable and stable action plan that prioritises transparency in decision-making and consultation of all involved. On 17 October, to identify the necessary measures, Bankwatch Romania organised a workshop titled Opportunities for transition to clean energy in Romania.
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