Review of eight national energy and climate plans (NECPs) in central and eastern Europe
March 22, 2019
Web-version of the briefing Our analysis shows that most countries in central and eastern Europe are not committed to an ambitious energy transformation and instead stay as close as possible to business as usual scenarios. Moreover, the development of
Lack of ambition on full display as eastern Member States graded on first climate and energy plans submitted to Commission
March 22, 2019
Member States across central and eastern Europe continue to do less than their fair share in setting the course for the EU to meet its long-term energy and climate commitments, finds a new Bankwatch analysis [1] of the national energy and climate plans (NECP) in eight Member States.
Romania’s dodgy math: will the country retire 2.2 GW of coal by the end of 2019?
March 13, 2019
Romania’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) contains dodgy maths that seems to imply the country will retire 2.2 GW of coal by the end of 2019, according to an analysis of the document published today by Bankwatch Romania.
Coal in the Romanian National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP)
March 13, 2019
Romania was among the countries which managed to submit its draft NECP before the deadline at the end of 2018. This came at a cost – a very limited period for consultations (only ten days), a fact which was signalled by most interested stakeholders. Th
A billions-worth problem
March 6, 2019
Clean air has become a rarity in the Western Balkans, and so has proper air quality monitoring. In Europe, a whooping EUR 11 billion in lost productivity and health costs caused by air pollution from coal plants in the region dwarf the investments in the implementation of air quality legislation. The result is an incomplete and unreliable air quality monitoring system.
Energy Community: Bosnia-Herzegovina guarantee for Chinese loan for Tuzla 7 is state aid, breaks EU law
March 5, 2019
The Energy Community confirmed today that the loan guarantee the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina Parliament wants to approve for the EUR 614 million China Exim Bank loan for the Tuzla 7 coal power plant indeed constitutes state aid according to EU law. The Energy Community had commissioned an expert analysis to look into the issue following a complaint by Aarhus Resource Centre and Bankwatch.
Milestone bank summit in Belgrade a step towards protecting Balkan rivers, but greater transparency still needed
March 1, 2019
For immediate release. Belgrade – The ‘Save the Blue Heart of Europe’ campaign [1] gave a cautious welcome to a first-of-its-kind summit between the financial sector and green activists, where a roundtable about the role of banks in the destruction of Balkan rivers by hydropower dams was centre stage.
Chronic coal pollution
February 28, 2019
In the Western Balkans there are 16 outdated coal power plants that threaten public health by producing enormous amounts of air pollution, impacting people in the region, the EU and beyond. Every year they cause 3,000 premature deaths, 8,000 cases of b
The EBRD Country Strategy for Azerbaijan
February 26, 2019
As the EBRD reviews its Country Strategy for Azerbaijan, Civil society organisations approached the Board of Directors to share their concerns about the situation in the country and asked the Bank to be clear that funding should be linked to the perfor
Bosnia-Herzegovina politicians defy investigation to approve Chinese loan guarantee for coal power plant
February 26, 2019
The Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina Parliament looks set to approve a loan guarantee for a EUR 614 million China Exim Bank loan for the Tuzla 7 coal power this Thursday, 28 February, [1], despite an ongoing Energy Community investigation into its compliance with State aid legislation.
