Jailing of prominent human rights activists in Azerbaijan casts a shadow over Europe’s planned gas deals with the Aliyev regime
April 24, 2015
London, Prague — Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime has been intensifying its crackdown on civil society with the recent jailing of two leading human rights defenders. The Aliyev regime has gained much of its political and financial clout by siphoning off proceedings from the country’s vast oil and gas reserves. These are the same reserves that the EU is now planning to make its next big source of gas, and the same government that the EU still considers a legitimate partner.
Europe’s back is to the future: Bankwatch and Counter Balance statement on the first projects of the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI)
April 23, 2015
Yesterday the European Investment Bank announced the first four projects to be financed from the EUR 315 billion EFSI. These include EUR 303 million for health care research in Spain, a public-private partnership in the Irish health sector, the expansion of the Dubrovnik airport in Croatia and a nineteenth century Italian steel factory.
“Fight tax havens, start with the European Investment Bank”, argues new report
April 21, 2015
Counter Balance & Re:Common press release The European Investment Bank (EIB) was the first Development Financial Institution (DFI) to adopt a tax haven policy in 2009. However, more than five years on EIB money still runs via tax havens. A new report by Counter Balance and Re:Common* ‘Towards a Responsible Taxation Policy for the EIB’ which is launched today calls on the EU’s public bank to grasp the political momentum at EU level to prevent any public money from flowing through tax havens. Country by country reporting, identification of beneficial ownership and a workable list of non-compliant jurisdictions would be key ingredients of a real “Responsible Taxation Policy”.
Parliament presses for more scrutiny of EU Investment Plan but guts green prospects
April 20, 2015
BRUSSELS – MEPs ditch ring fencing for energy savings but demand more democratic oversight over the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) that has been setup to implement Commission President Juncker’s economic recovery plan.
Statement on the European Parliament ITRE Committee vote
April 15, 2015
CEE Bankwatch Network, Friends of the Earth Europe and Counter Balance welcome yesterday’s vote to earmark EUR 5 billion for energy savings projects across Europe by the Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE). The funds were allocated via an amendment to the European Fund for Strategic Investment regulation proposed by Commission president Juncker in December 2014. The vote also requires that any energy infrastructure project financed from the EUR 315 billion investment plan be in line with Europe’s long term energy and climate targets for 2050.
Development Banks Urged to Review Support for Mekong Dams, 10 Years After Nam Theun 2
April 1, 2015
Amsterdam/Bangkok/Manila/Prague/Tokyo – Non-governmental organizations are calling on the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and European Investment Bank (EIB) to publicly acknowledge the millions of dollars of failed investment in their flagship project, Nam Theun 2. This 1070 MW dam has failed to bring intended development benefits, and instead has unleashed a range of negative impacts on the affected populations in central Laos.
94 percent against new coal power plant in Croatian local referendum
March 30, 2015
Labin, Croatia – 94 percent of voters have today rejected the proposed new 500 MW Plomin C coal power plant [1] in a local referendum in Croatia. Residents of five districts of Istria County answered a resounding ‘No’ to the question “Are you in favour of building the Plomin C power plant to run on coal?”
Statement: EU trade secrets directive threat to free speech, health, environment and worker mobility
March 20, 2015
Multi-sectoral civil society coalition calls for greater protections for consumers, journalists, whistleblowers, researchers and workers We strongly oppose the hasty push by the European Commission and Council for a new European Union (EU) directive on trade secrets because it contains: An unreasonably broad definition of “trade secrets” that enables almost anything within a company to be deemed as such;
Bankwatch statement on today’s EU Council decision about the ‘Energy Union’
March 19, 2015
Europe’s leaders have failed today to live up to their commitments and make the EU’s energy future more sustainable. The Commission’s ‘Energy Union’ strategy endorsed today by EU Heads of States prioritises new fossil fuel infrastructure at the expense of investments into energy savings and clean energy sources.
Electricity export ambitions may prove risky for Western Balkans, shows new study
March 19, 2015
The Western Balkans countries have strong electricity export ambitions that create the danger of stranded assets, finds a new report launched by CEE Bankwatch Network today. If governments take electricity expansion decisions without taking due account of developments in other countries, the region will have to compete with other nearby exporters and may find that its power plants become uneconomic.
