Risky business – Who benefits from the Southern Gas Corridor
December 13, 2016
The Southern Gas Corridor, a string of pipelines meant to bring gas from Azerbaijan into Europe, is presented as a panacea for all ills and is set to benefit from some of the biggest loans in the history of European public banks. But as this report reveals, Europe’s flagship energy project is set to benefit a host of companies and individuals with a particularly shady track record. Several companies contracted to build the Southern Gas Corridor have a worrying history of corruption.
Letter to ADB concerning loan for Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan
December 5, 2016
Ahead of an expected loan decision by the Asian Development Bank for the Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan, non-governmental organisations raised concerns over the human rights situation in the country as well as in Turkey, to where the gas from Shah Deniz will be transported via the Southern Gas Corridor.
Postpone decision on loan for Shah Deniz II gas field in Azerbaijan – letter to the board of the Asian Development Bank
December 5, 2016
Ahead of the Asian Development Bank’s board meeting where a loan to the Shah Deniz gas expansion project in Azerbaijan is to be discussed, a group of NGOs ask the ADB board to postpone a decision and align the ADB to the practice of other IFIs involved in financing the same and related gas projects.
Skeletons are hiding in the closet of Europe’s energy policy – letter to Maroš Šefčovič on the EU’s support for nuclear energy
December 1, 2016
Accompanied by a public action, Bankwatch and Global 2000 presented European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič with this open letter. The letter points out the inconsistencies behind European public money supporting lifetime extension of soviet era nuclear reactors in Ukraine, which are made in violation of international environmental conventions and with insufficient implementation of safety requirements. So far, the EU’s support for Ukraine is a bad precedent for nuclear decision-making across Europe. It is time to set things straight!
Azerbaijan: Crackdown on critics undermines sustainable development – Human Rights Watch letter to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
November 29, 2016
In this letter, Human Rights Watch and Bankwatch highlight the ongoing repression of independent civil society in Azerbaijan and its impact on sustainable develpoment and urge the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to limit its engagement in the country, specifically to not provide financing for projects related to the country’s extractives sector such as the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
Azerbaijan: Crackdown on critics undermines sustainable development – Human Rights Watch letter to the European Investment Bank
November 23, 2016
In this letter, Human Rights Watch and Bankwatch highlight the ongoing repression of independent civil society in Azerbaijan and its impact on sustainable develpoment and urge the European Investment Bank to not provide financing for projects related to the country’s extractives sector such as the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
Going abroad – a critique of the European Investment Bank’s External Lending Mandate
November 18, 2016
This report analyses how and if the European Investment Bank (EIB) is fulfilling its development role under the so-called External Lending Mandate (ELM) for the period 2014-2020. It sheds light on the more questionable quality and effectiveness of EIB operations and on the neglected areas of the bank’s performance outside Europe, such as transparency and access to information practices, its attitude towardstax evasion and tax dodging, human rights due diligence.
The EU bank’s dubious overseas development experience shows it cannot be a key player in Europe’s response to the plight of refugees – report
November 18, 2016
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.
New cases at UN and EU bodies against Ukraine’s prolongation of nuclear licenses
November 8, 2016
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.
Historic win for frontline communities: plans for coal power project in Turkey shelved
October 31, 2016
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.