Juncker’s investment package to be hijacked by countries’ destructive plans
December 8, 2014
Brussels – A list of projects member states want to see financed from the Juncker investment package has been made public in expectation of tomorrow’s summit where finance ministers will discuss the package. Coal, nuclear and incinerators are among the various countries’ priorities, which fail to add up to the long-term strategic plan to stimulate growth and sustainability in Europe that Juncker promised.
European Commission opens infringement procedure against Romania over coal mine
December 4, 2014
Bucharest — The European Commission has opened an infringement case against Romania regarding the lignite quarry extension at the Rovinari complex in Gorj County. The Commission suspects Romania of not complying with the EU Directive concerning the environmental impact assessment of projects.
EU Project Bonds are a worrying indication for the future EU long term investment plans
December 4, 2014
As the pilot phase of the EU Project Bonds Initiative is coming to an end, a roundtable discussion in the European Parliament takes stock of the initiative.
Sostanj lignite plant: A mistake not to be repeated
December 2, 2014
Ljubljana — A new briefing by Slovenian NGO Focus shows how misguided assessments of future viability and corruption led to TES6 lignite unit costing more than double the estimated amount, bringing annual losses of tens of millions of euros, and creating only a fraction of the number of jobs promised.
Mind the infrastructure gap
December 2, 2014
A case of outrageous bad fortune, or a portent of things to come? The one thing that can be stated with any certainty about the collapsed Castor project, the underground gas storage plant in Vinaròs, Spain that was selected in 2013 as the lead-out project for the EU’s Project Bond Initiative (PBI), is that the Spanish government has put its citizens on the hook to cover a compensation package of EUR 1.35 billion to ESCAL UGS, the project promoter.
EIB role in Juncker investment package draws more questions than answers for now
December 2, 2014
Here we go again. Having been called upon to ramp up its investments in 2009 and 2010 as part of Europe’s initial financial crisis fire-fighting, and then in 2012 been a central cog in the EU’s ambitious but ultimately lacklustre ‘Growth Compact’, the European Investment Bank now finds itself at the heart of new European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker’s three-year drive to boost investment in Europe, as unveiled on November 26.
Another Polish road construction in Natura 2000 site, another David and Goliath fight to save protected nature
December 2, 2014
Road construction in Poland can be a cause for great controversy, particularly when incomprehensible road designs clash with nature.
Juncker investment package shifts risk from private investors to EU taxpayers
November 26, 2014
Brussels – Today European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker will present his widely anticipated 300 billion euro investment package aimed at stimulating growth in the European economy. Central to the InvestEU programme is a 21 billion euro allocation for the newly-created Euopean Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) that has to leverage 315 billion euro from private investors, or 15 times the amount of the fund.
New study assesses prospects for EU funded low-carbon energy solutions in Polish regions
November 25, 2014
The low-carbon energy ambitions of Polish regions for future EU funding are very diverse with only a few promising cases as an analysis of the Operational Programmes of Polish regions shows.
Recommendations for the last state of programming of EU Regional Funds 2014-2020 for energy projects
November 25, 2014
Bankwatch and Polish Green Network analysed the final drafts of the Regional Operational Programmes of Poland’s voivodeships. The report “Green energy for all” shows how ambitious (or not) the Polish regions are to invest in a low-carbon economy, in particularly when it comes to renewable energy and energy efficiency in residential buildings. It also contains six recommendations for Polish regions to make the most of the low-carbon potential of Regional Funds.
