EU funds should never harm nature, climate or the environment Statement of the Green 10 on the ‘do no significant harm’ principle
November 18, 2021
This statement, written together with the Green 10 and EuroNatur, outlines our main concerns about the application of the ‘do no significant harm’ principle to EU public funds. The EU intends to expand the application of this principle to a variety of
Updated Renewable Energy Directive needs built-in biodiversity protection
November 17, 2021
A higher EU renewable energy target may help reduce greenhouse gases, but could also accelerate the biodiversity crisis if not properly managed. To prevent this, support schemes for renewables must be explicitly tied to compliance with EU environmental law.
The EIB cannot become a ‘climate leader’ while failing on transparency
November 10, 2021
The European Investment Bank (EIB) – the financial arm of the EU – is about to approve a new Transparency Policy that will allow the bank to keep hiding information on projects it considers to finance despite their potential impacts on people and the environment.
Radio silence on gas allegations: European Commission breaks another deadline to respond to Bankwatch’s complaint
October 21, 2021
The European Commission’s Directorate General for Energy is dragging its feet in answering allegations on its role in the selection of priority gas pipelines in the Western Balkans and Caucasus region. The delays threaten to diminish the chances of the Ombudsman’s findings being taken into account while developing new EU energy rules.
Joint civil society statement: Making human rights a true priority of the EIB
October 14, 2021
This joint civil society statement prepared by 12 civil society organisations outlines our recommendations for integrating human rights into the EIB’s Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework, by proposing specific improvements to the Policy a
EIB misinterprets EU’s development finance needs
October 12, 2021
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has long been seeking to take a more significant role in the EU’s overseas development effort. But it has also been resisting calls to upgrade its policy on the environmental, social and human rights ramifications of the projects it supports.
Briefing for the European Commission: the Polluter Pays Principle in the just transition process – diagnosis and recommendations
October 7, 2021
The Polluter Pays Principle (PPP) is one of the biggest concerns in the implementation of just transition support. This Principle should ensure that polluters bear the costs of their pollution and are incentivised to avoid environmental damage. However
A third of European Investment Bank lending evades environmental and social rules
September 21, 2021
More than a third of the European Investment Bank (EIB)’s EU lending is carried out via intermediaries. Yet most of this money disappears into a black hole, with no information published about the final beneficiaries and no checks by the EIB about their environmental and social impacts. The EIB’s new safeguard framework is supposed to address this, but the draft text leaves the Bank far behind its peers.
EU complicity in colossal, lawless air pollution from Balkan coal plants must prompt swift action – new report
September 7, 2021
Around 19,000 people are estimated to have died over the past three years as a result of air pollution from Western Balkan coal-fired power plants, according to a report released today by CEE Bankwatch Network and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
How to monitor the spending of the EUR 672 billion recovery fund
August 31, 2021
Following the European Commission’s assessment, the majority of recovery plans have now been approved by the Council of the EU, paving the way for an unprecedented amount of money to be made available to Member States. However, with both the Commission and Member States rushing to disburse funds as quickly as possible, ensuring sufficient monitoring and control mechanisms are in place will be more important than ever before.
