Rural communities in Ukraine bearing the brunt of unchecked agribusiness expansion, say two new reports
September 14, 2015
Residents in Ukraine’s southwest are facing environmental decline, intimidation and deteriorating quality of life as a result of the rapid emergence of Europe’s largest poultry farm, finds a report released today by CEE Bankwatch Network. Owned by Mironivski Hliboproduct (MHP), Ukraine’s biggest poultry producer, the Vinnytsia project has been enjoying hefty support from Europe’s public financial institutes and the World Bank, and plans to double the facility’s size are only likely to exacerbate its social and environmental impacts, shows another report released today by the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO).
Black earth – Agribusiness in Ukraine and the marginalisation of rural communities
September 14, 2015
Given Ukraine’s abundant land resources and food production potential, modernisation of agriculture is necessary and industrialisation is inevitable. Yet, an investigation into the Vinnytsia poultry complex shows the negative side effects of large-scale industrialisation of meat production and sounds the alarm about the risks that agroholdings pose to communities.
Nederland sponsort Oekraïense plofkip
September 14, 2015
De grootste kippenproducent in Oekraïne, Myronivsky Hliboproduct (MHP), slacht jaarlijks naar schatting 332 miljoen kippen en staat op het punt de productie met 70% te verhogen. MHP krijgt daarbij ruim baan van de Oekraïense overheid, exporteert tegen gunstige voorwaarden naar Nederland en profiteert bovendien van een half miljard aan leningen van internationale ontwikkelingsbanken. Bij de schaalvergroting spelen ook Nederlandse banken en bedrijven een rol. Intussen ondervinden de bewoners in de omgeving van Europa’s grootste kippenstal steeds meer overlast van stank en zwaar verkeer en worden zij onder druk gezet om hun land te verpachten. Met het rapport Chicken Run heeft SOMO de bedrijfsstrategieën van MHP en de daaruit voortvloeiende impact op omliggende dorpen in kaart gebracht.
[Campaign update] Petition to clean up southeast Europe’s energy system
September 7, 2015
By now regular readers of the Bankwatch blog will know that the energy system in southeast Europe is corrupt, dirty and inefficient. But we now have an opportunity to change it.
Energoatom lawsuit against Ukrainian activists is the latest attempt to stifle public debate over an ageing nuclear energy fleet
August 28, 2015
A Kiev court held yesterday the first hearing in a case brought by Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear power plants operator, against the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU), a civil society group, member of the CEE Bankwatch Network.
The Western Balkans and the Energy Union: Will the EU address carbon lock-in beyond its borders?
August 27, 2015
The Energy Union must find ways to prevent state support for the production of fossil fuel energy by the European Union’s immediate neighbours. The EU cannot afford to have newly acceding members holding up progress towards the new 2030 climate goals or watering down future policy making.
Ukraine nuclear lifetime extensions require impact assessment in compliance with Aarhus and Espoo convention
August 18, 2015
On several occasions the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development stated that operations of its clients should comply with all international treaties and other legal obligations. In spite of these reassurances, Energoatom in Ukraine keeps ignoring its international obligations, as outlined in the Espoo Convention, in the processes of assessing the life-time extension of its nuclear reactors.
Letter to European Commission: Reconsider disbursement of loans for Ukraine nuclear project
August 10, 2015
In this letter, Bankwatch asks the European Commission to reconsider the disbursement of the Euratom and EBRD loans for the Ukraine nuclear safety upgrade programme that effectively enables the lifetime extensions at Ukraine’s nuclear reactors. The letter provides evidence for the intertwined character of the upgrade programme and the lifetime extensions and for Ukraine’s refusal to meet its obligations under international conventions.
Letter to European Commission (DG ECFIN): Ukraine does not meet obligations under international law
August 10, 2015
The European Commission stated in an earlier letter that any decision by Ukraine to extend the life-span of any of its nuclear power plants will require assessment under the Aarhus and Espoo Conventions. In this letter, Bankwatch offers evidence for how Ukraine is indeed extending the lifetimes of its nuclear reactors but not meeting its obligations under the conventions.
European funding for a Lukoil gas project in Azerbaijan tramples the EU’s commitment to both climate action and human rights
July 23, 2015
A USD 500 million loan for the share of Russian gas giant Lukoil in a major gas project in Azerbaijan has been approved yesterday by the Board of Directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Yet, the decision will significantly hinder Europe’s commitments to decarbonise as well as to advance democracy.
