Slovenia: The EBRD freezes loan disbursements in Alstom’s coal project over corruption allegations. NGOs call on the EIB to follow suit
April 18, 2012
Paris, 18 April 2012 — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced that it is freezing the disbursement of the promised EUR 100 million loan for the construction of a new lignite block at thermal power plant TES 6 in Šoštanj, Slovenia. The decision by the EBRD comes after a group of Slovenian and international NGOs approached the EBRD asking for the bank to halt the loan until corruption allegations are investigated.(1)
Gazela reloaded: another illegal Roma resettlement in Serbia on account of an EIB funded project
April 13, 2012
Belgrade – By the end of April, one hundred Roma families are expected to be illegally resettled from Belgrade neighbourhood Buvljak to several locations including Resnik, where current inhabitants are these days protesting against their arrival [1]. The resettlement is being carried out by Belgrade authorities without a proper resettlement plan or any consideration of the needs of the Roma and potential for inter-racial conflict [2]. The move is deemed necessary as part of the Sava Bridge and adjacent road construction, financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank respectively. [3]
EBRD: New president – new direction for the bank?
April 2, 2012
With the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the process of selecting a new president [1] as the term of current office holder Thomas Mirow approaches its end, CEE Bankwatch Network, an NGO that has been monitoring the EBRD for over a decade, makes a call on the bank’s shareholders and new president to reassess some of its past – faulty – approaches:
Bankwatch report: EU supports nuclear life time expansion in Ukraine
March 8, 2012
Money from Euratom and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is to be used to finance the life time expansion of Ukrainian nuclear reactors, 12 of which had initially been scheduled to close down no later than 2020, according to an expert report published today by CEE Bankwatch Network.
The dirty French-Slovenian connection
February 23, 2012
Slovenian state anti-corruption body claims ALSTOM could have benefited from corrupt acts to get deal to build new lignite plant at Sostanj.
Romania: New coal plants to be built with EU aid for greening economy
February 22, 2012
Bucharest – One of the eight Member States applying for EU help consisting of free of charge GHG emissions allowances from 2013 to 2019, Romania intends to implement investments which will lead to maintaining or even increasing the high share of coal in the country’s electricity production, thus contradicting the goals of the EU aid scheme.
Kyrgyz lawmakers endorse NGO’s environmental complaints over Kumtor Gold Mine
February 16, 2012
Bishkek – Both the Kyrgyz government and the parliament took on board this week concerns expressed by environmentalists that the Kumtor gold mine operated by Canadian Centerra Gold Corporation poses serious threats to livelihoods and the environment, including causing the melting of two glaciers in the area.
Billions of EU funds wasted on dead-end investments
February 2, 2012
Brussels – Substantial environmental and social harm is being caused by controversial projects costing billions of euros of EU money, according to research published today by Friends of the Earth Europe and CEE Bankwatch Network.
Kyrgyzstan: Independent expertise exposes damage done by Kumtor gold exploitation
January 31, 2012
Bishkek — Canadian company Centerra Gold, owner and operator of Kumtor Mine, the largest gold mine in Central Asia managed by a Western company, has been contaminating local waters and glaciers while hiding evidence of such negative impacts from public oversight, reveals a report authored by an independent US-based expert published today by CEE Bankwatch Network (1). Had it operated in its home country Canada, Centerra’s practices would have caused the company serious trouble with the law.
Bankwatch report and video: Mongolia’s mining bonanza poses threat to locals and planet
January 30, 2012
A new report launched today by CEE Bankwatch Network, urgewald and OT Watch (1), following on-the-ground research in Mongolia, details the impact of the country’s mining boom on local populations, shedding light on the ignored side of one of the biggest business stories of today: Mongolia’s planned public offering of the state-owned Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi and the rights to one of the world’s largest untapped coal reserves. (2)
