Slovenia coal fraud charges serve as warning for other Balkan countries, say NGOs
October 15, 2014
Ljubljana, Slovenia: Slovenian police yesterday reported that ten people had been charged with fraud in relation to the beleaguered Sostanj 6 lignite power plant project, causing a suspected EUR 284 million in financial harm to Slovene electricity consumers. The charges serve as a new warning to decision-makers across the Western Balkans to closely scrutinise coal power plant projects planned across the region if the mistakes made in the Sostanj 6 project in Slovenia are not to be repeated, warned several NGOs today.
Green 10: the Parliament must reject this Commission
October 8, 2014
Brussels – The Green 10, the alliance of leading environmental NGOs in Europe, reiterates the call to reject the Commission unless rigorous changes of mandates, job titles and re-allocation of posts are made.
European Banks are most opaque multilateral organisations, 2014 Aid Transparency Index
October 8, 2014
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are ranked 16th and 17th respectively out of 17 multilateral organisations on the 2014 Aid Transparency Index (ATI) which is published today. The transparency index comes at a momentous time for the EIB as the institution is currently reviewing its transparency policy and NGOs fear that the ‘EU bank’ is preparing to further downgrade its transparency requirements.
Environmental Impact Assessment for new Bosnia-Herzegovina coal plant contains false information, reveals expert analysis
October 6, 2014
Bijeljina, R. Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6.10.2014: The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for the planned Ugljevik III lignite power plant near Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina contains data on the plant’s SO2, NOx and dust emissions which is demonstrably false, and the study is missing key information needed to assess the plant’s environmental impact, according to a new analysis submitted by NGO Center for Environment to the responsible Ministry today.
Marubeni and Alstom’s corruption records cast new doubts on Croatian coal project, warns new analysis
October 2, 2014
Zagreb — Japan’s Marubeni Corporation and France’s Alstom – who have together been chosen as the preferred bidding consortium for the Plomin C* coal power plant project in Croatia – have a poor integrity record including several convictions for corruption offences which should raise alarm bells and increase vigilance among the Croatian public and potential financiers of the project, according to a new paper by CEE Bankwatch Network, published today.
Visegrad countries pose fresh threat to 2030 targets
October 1, 2014
Brussels – The group of four Visegrad countries (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) plus Romania and Bulgaria declared yesterday their readiness to block EU 2030 binding renewables and energy efficiency targets which are to be agreed upon at a European Council Oct. 23-24. Yet cracks are appearing in the group.
Big EU energy projects cannot be chosen behind closed doors, say NGOs
September 29, 2014
Brussels — As a new process of identifying big EU energy Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) kicks off in Brussels today, environmental NGOs warn that the EU must only prioritise energy projects which are not destructive of the environment and climate, and that the choice of these projects must be done through a transparent process.
Energy Community meeting must deliver reforms
September 22, 2014
Brussels – A group of leading NGOs active in the Balkan region are calling for urgent reform of the Energy Community Treaty, as its Ministerial Council prepares to meet in Kiev on September 23rd. The groups are calling for both the expansion of the environmental and climate component of the Treaty and measures to ensure that existing obligations are better enforced.
New Commission might sideline environment in CEE
September 11, 2014
Brussels — The priorities of European Commission president elect Jean-Claude Juncker for the newly-announced Commission threaten Europe’s climate and resource efficiency ambitions, says CEE Bankwatch Network. Particularly worrying from the perspective of CEE countries is an apparent shift in the vision of Regional Policy from making the European economy more sustainable, to “jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness” without any nod to green energy and resource efficiency.
Europe’s finance ministers urged to stop EU Bank’s ‘extraordinary’ slide towards secrecy
September 11, 2014
Campaigners across Europe are urging the European Commission and their Ministers of Finance to halt a dangerous slide towards secrecy of the giant European Investment Bank (EIB), of which the EU member states are owners.
