April 21, 2015 | Read more Counter Balance & Re:Common press release The European Investment Bank (EIB) was the first Development Financial Institution (DFI) to adopt a tax haven policy in 2009. However, more than five years on EIB money still runs via tax havens. A new report by Counter Balance and Re:Common* ‘Towards a Responsible Taxation Policy for the EIB’ which is launched today calls on the EU’s public bank to grasp the political momentum at EU level to prevent any public money from flowing through tax havens. Country by country reporting, identification of beneficial ownership and a workable list of non-compliant jurisdictions would be key ingredients of a real “Responsible Taxation Policy”.
April 20, 2015 | Read more BRUSSELS – MEPs ditch ring fencing for energy savings but demand more democratic oversight over the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) that has been setup to implement Commission President Juncker’s economic recovery plan.
April 15, 2015 | Read more CEE Bankwatch Network, Friends of the Earth Europe and Counter Balance welcome yesterday’s vote to earmark EUR 5 billion for energy savings projects across Europe by the Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE). The funds were allocated via an amendment to the European Fund for Strategic Investment regulation proposed by Commission president Juncker in December 2014. The vote also requires that any energy infrastructure project financed from the EUR 315 billion investment plan be in line with Europe’s long term energy and climate targets for 2050.
April 1, 2015 | Read more Amsterdam/Bangkok/Manila/Prague/Tokyo – Non-governmental organizations are calling on the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and European Investment Bank (EIB) to publicly acknowledge the millions of dollars of failed investment in their flagship project, Nam Theun 2. This 1070 MW dam has failed to bring intended development benefits, and instead has unleashed a range of negative impacts on the affected populations in central Laos.
March 30, 2015 | Read more Labin, Croatia – 94 percent of voters have today rejected the proposed new 500 MW Plomin C coal power plant [1] in a local referendum in Croatia. Residents of five districts of Istria County answered a resounding ‘No’ to the question “Are you in favour of building the Plomin C power plant to run on coal?”
March 26, 2015 | Read more A new website with inspiring stories of local sustainable initiatives shows the very real change that small-scale projects can make for local communities.
March 24, 2015 | Read more A photo exhibition in Croatia is connecting the dots between communities in Colombia and the Istrian coast that are negatively affected by coal.
March 24, 2015 | Read more Almost all respondants to a consultation on the Plomin power plant do not want a new unit running on coal.
March 23, 2015 | Read more Western Balkan countries have ambitious plans to increase their electricity generation over the next years. But what will happen if they all become a regional energy hub? Will there be a demand for all the available electricity?
March 20, 2015 | Read more Multi-sectoral civil society coalition calls for greater protections for consumers, journalists, whistleblowers, researchers and workers We strongly oppose the hasty push by the European Commission and Council for a new European Union (EU) directive on trade secrets because it contains: An unreasonably broad definition of “trade secrets” that enables almost anything within a company to be deemed as such;
Stay informed
Receive our monthly overviews of the latest developments on the ground.
