Czech government pushes people to edge in new coal mine expansion
October 19, 2015
Prague – In a landmark decision today, the Czech Republic reversed a quarter century-old ban that prohibited the expansion of surface mining in an area of Northern Bohemia, allowing excavation in close vicinity of homes of more than 120 000 people.
CSOs deliver over 16 000 signatures for a cleaner energy future in Tirana
October 16, 2015
Tirana, Albania – A group of CSOs from South East Europe (SEE) delivered over 16 000 petition signatures to Miguel Arias Cañete, EU Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action and Co-Chair of the Ministerial Council of the Energy Community today before its meeting in Tirana, Albania.
Joint reaction on the Energy Community’s Roadmap from CEE Bankwatch Network and Climate Action Network Europe
October 16, 2015
On Friday 16th October the Ministerial Council meeting in Tirana adopted a Roadmap on the future of the Energy Community.
Major blow for Croatian coal plant as Crédit Agricole announces new coal power policy
September 30, 2015
Paris, France – Today’s publication of new criteria for coal-fired power plant financing by French bank Crédit Agricole suggests that the bank will not be able to finance the controversial €800 million Plomin C coal power plant in Croatia, believe campaign groups. The policy now rules out finance for coal power plants in high-income countries, which includes Croatia.
Southeast Europe must close the gap on energy efficiency, says new report
September 29, 2015
Brussels, Belgium / Podgorica, Montenegro – Countries of Southeast Europe (SEE) waste much more energy than the members of the European Union, according to a new report Energy Efficiency – Just Do It! published today by a group of civil society organizations from across the region.
Bankwatch and Counter Balance statement on the adoption of the European Investment Bank Climate Strategy
September 22, 2015
“As Europe prepares to host the seminal UN climate summit in Paris at year’s end, the EU’s house bank is turning away from its commitment to finance the bloc’s climate action.
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).
Russian environmental organisation forced to choose between ‘foreign agent’ label and shutdown
September 11, 2015
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia – Sakhalin Environment Watch (SEW), Bankwatch member group in Russia’s far east, has been ordered by the Russian authorities to register itself as a ‘foreign agent’. The group rejects claims it is engaged in any political activity, and intends to contest the decision. If the decision is not repealed, the group will consider shutting down.
Crédit Agricole violating own coal policies with new Croatian power plant support – new report
September 10, 2015
French bank Crédit Agricole’s support for a proposed major new coal plant project in Croatia is inconsistent with the bank’s climate ambitions and its own sector policy on coal-fired power plants, according to a new study released today. The analysis, by Friends of the Earth France and Croatia, Zelena Istra, CEE Bankwatch Network and BankTrack, screens the risks of the 500 megawatt Plomin C project proposed for development in the picturesque Istrian peninsula, a popular international tourist destination.
Investigation launched into Mongolian iron ore mine financed by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for impacts on local communities
September 3, 2015
Updated September 10, 2015* Amsterdam/Ulaanbaatar/Prague – Last week, the independent accountability mechanism of the EBRD announced it will investigate *the Bank’s compliance with its environmental and social standards at a mine it finances and is operated by Altain Khuder in the Gobi-Altai region of Mongolia. The investigation comes in response to a complaint filed to the EBRD’s Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM) in December 2014 from herders affected by the project.
