Funding sustainable development in European regions – Recommendations for the programming of EU funds in 10 CEE countries
February 28, 2013
This publication, prepared in close cooperation with national NGO coalitions and the support from external experts, aims to contribute to the elaboration of Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes by proposing concrete measures to be financed, targets to be set, performance indicators to be applied and investment needs to be met – all with a focus on a policy that can foster sustainable development and catalyse the transformation to a low energy-consuming, renewable-based and resource efficient society. Download individual sections >>
Bogus logic in Ukraine: A nature reserve not worth protecting
February 13, 2013
If you thought the purpose of a nature reserve is to protect wildlife from disruptive human interference, then you’re wrong – at least when it comes to nature that’s in the way of electricity infrastructure in Ukraine.
WWF Position Paper on the EIB energy lending review
February 10, 2013
Quote from the WWF comments: “The EIB’s objective should support the EU’s 2050 decarbonisation goal. An EIB substantively revised energy lending policy should precludes investment in assets that lock‐in high carbon emissions and instead focuses on delivering a European zero‐emission energy system by 2050.”
Will the EBRD do the right thing for Kosovo, its newest member?
February 10, 2013
As Kosovo becomes a member of International Financial Institutions, such as the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, alarm bells are ringing about which model of development these bodies are pushing in the EU’s newest country.
Anti-coal campaign in Kosovo puts focus on health
February 4, 2013
A campaign against a new lignite power plant in Kosovo uses World Bank figures to highlight the health damage resulting from pollution.
Kolubara “mired in crime and corruption”
January 30, 2013
Those were the words of Serbian Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlović, speaking last week in a press conference during which she announced that a thorough investigation is ongoing into corrupt practices by the management of the Kolubara mining complex.
Good news: EBRD drops controversial Monsanto project
January 28, 2013
A potential cooperation between the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the agro-corporation Monsanto has thankfully not come to fruition. The case highlights the difficulties for a large development bank to reach farmers on the ground.
Off on the wrong foot in Kosovo? A lignite power plant and the EBRD
January 25, 2013
Notwithstanding the dominance of lignite in Kosovo’s energy mix, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development may get involved with yet another lignite project in the Western Balkans.
Comments on EBRD policy and forthcoming energy strategy (Urgewalt/Klimaallianz, DE)
January 16, 2013
In their comments, the German NGO urgewald and the environmental coalition Klimaallianz focus on the EBRD’s support for fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Their recommendations call for a phase out of loans to fossil fuels, a more stringent approach to energy efficiency and a stronger focus on renewables for domestic needs.
Comments on the EBRD’s 2006 Energy Operations Policy and recommendations for the forthcoming Energy Strategy
January 15, 2013
As the first step in its review of its Energy Operations Policy, the EBRD asked for input on its current policy before moving on to write the new sectoral strategy. In our comments, Bankwatch highlighted the current policy’s lack of restrictions on climate-damaging projects including coal power plants and the need for the bank to adopt strict sustainability criteria in order to ensure that it supports only truly sustainable renewable energy.
