Mission letter: How climate and environmental crises should be prioritised as part of the European Union’s long-term budget for 2028-2034
September 9, 2024
This is a fictional mission letter issued by the President of the European Commission to a fictional ‘Commissioner for a Transformative Budget’ intended to illustrate how the climate and environmental crises should be prioritised as part of the European Union’s long-term budget for 2028–2034.
Financing the Renovation Wave: How to align EU funding with new building legislation
September 6, 2024
This briefing looks at how the new legislative framework for the building sector might affect the financing support needed.
Romania’s big bet on fossil gas proves a reckless gamble
September 5, 2024
Romania has hit the EU funds jackpot, securing significant amounts for fossil gas projects. However, implementation has been sluggish. More concerningly, these projects could delay Europe’s energy transition and deepen Romania’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Western Balkans: Chaotic, opaque selection process for EU infrastructure funding needs major improvements
August 29, 2024
The EU’s Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) has spent billions of euros on infrastructure, mainly in transport and energy. But our new analysis, examining how countries choose projects to nominate for funding, finds a chaotic situation vulnerable to politically-driven decision-making. Clearer rules, public participation and earlier information disclosure are urgently needed.
Even with hard work, a just transition needs long-term support
August 8, 2024
The small town of Turceni in southwest Romania has long been a lignite stronghold. But its enormous coal power plant is gradually being closed. A team from Bankwatch recently visited and spoke to the deputy mayor about the town’s efforts to ensure a just transition.
From coal to clean energy: A Romanian initiative for sustainable employment
August 5, 2024
The transition to a low-carbon economic model is a radical paradigm shift that requires transformation at all levels, from individual behaviour to entire economic sectors. But it’s also an unprecedented opportunity to reinvent our relationship with the economy, one that respects nature and planetary boundaries.
EU hails benefits of multi-billion-euro environmental action
August 2, 2024
Five major environmental NGOs – WWF, BirdLife, the European Environmental Bureau, Euronatur and CEE Bankwatch – proposed just such a fund earlier this week, saying it would need an annual budget of between €15bn and €25bn to implement the NRL and operate the Natura 2000 network effectively.
Estonia’s young heroes leading the just transition charge
August 2, 2024
Among the cases highlighting the role of young people in just transition regions across Europe, the establishment of a youth-led climate assembly in Ida-Virumaa, Estonia has been a notable success story.
Big fish, small Parliament pond
August 1, 2024
NGO Bankwatch’s Anna Roggenbuck says the affair “shows a clear conflict of interest at the top management of the EIB, to which the Bank did not react.”
Indorama Agro: Uzbekistan’s infamous cotton producer
July 24, 2024
Despite being Uzbekistan’s largest cotton producer and receiving millions in development loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – institutions that promote modernisation and corporate responsibility – Indorama Agro faces multiple complaints of worker mistreatment and retaliation.
