December 1, 2016 | Read more While it may seem like a gesture to coal-dependent countries such as Poland, the Winter Package of EU energy market rules, presented yesterday (30 November), will make using coal subsidies more difficult.
November 18, 2016 | Read more The European Investment Bank’s failure in safeguarding the most vulnerable groups in its projects shows it is ill-equipped to help refugees and host communities in the European Union’s neighbourhood. A new report explains the bank’s weaknesses in identifying and responding to human rights risks.
November 18, 2016 | Read more The EIB is increasingly given a prominent role in the EU’s response to the so-called refugee crisis stretching the bank’s operations well beyond its current mandate for overseas investments. Yet, a new report by Counter Balance and CEE Bankwatch Network takes a closer look at projects the EU’s house bank has been financing outside Europe to find a dismal track record on a range of issues from transparency to human rights. This, the report authors say, should serve as a warning sign for the European Parliament and Council as they consider boosting the bank’s mandate.
November 16, 2016 | Read more Oppressive noise and a cloud of dust engulf the residents of Roșia de Jiu and Rogojel, villages located next to Romania’s Rovinari power plant. In a new video, Bankwatch Romania has documented the toll that producing coal energy is having on these communities that live near the lignite mines, transport belts and power plant at Rovinari.
November 14, 2016 | Read more Now is the time for southeast Europe to start an inclusive and just transition away from lignite, argues new Bankwatch research.
November 14, 2016 | Read more Promises for new jobs in south-east Europe’s coal sector are exaggerated, a new Bankwatch report reveals. Hardly any coal operations across the region are economically viable, and as a result many coal workers, especially in the mines, are set to lose their jobs, even if the plans for countless new power plants materialise. Governments, coal workers and their wider communities need to work together towards a just transition.
November 8, 2016 | Read more As pressure from civil society and governments is mounting, UN and EU bodies acknowledge Ukraine’s lack of accountability for plans to extend the lifetime of its nuclear fleet. The country could be found in breach of international law. Once again.
November 8, 2016 | Read more Progress – albeit uneven – is being made towards increasing sustainability in South East Europe’s energy sector, according to a new scorecard report launched today by a group of NGOs. CO2 emissions, electricity losses and energy intensity have all seen decreases in most countries in the region, but less progress has been made on increasing the share of solar and wind energy and tackling corruption.
October 31, 2016 | Read more Communities in Aliağa, Turkey, who have been resisting the construction of coal power plants in the region for decades, have achieved a significant victory. Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy company SOCAR, has decided to shelve plans to construct an integrated 672 MW coal power plant in Aliağa, İzmir.
October 28, 2016 | Read more Air pollution in the town of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina was above legally allowed limits on twelve of 20 consecutive days as measurements made by Bankwatch and the Tuzla-based environmental group Center for Ecology and Energy show.
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