EBRD should change mandate to prioritise people and the environment, says Bankwatch
May 20, 2011
Astana, Kazakhstan – After twenty years of promoting market economies in central and eastern Europe, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development needs to move swiftly and genuinely towards prioritising social justice and transition to energy efficient, renewable energy based economies if it wants to bring real benefits to the region, says a new policy paper from CEE Bankwatch Network issued on the occasion of the EBRD annual meeting in Astana May 20 (1).
Slovenian government drops support for Sostanj coal plant; European public banks must follow suit
May 5, 2011
Ljubljana, Slovenia — CEE Bankwatch Network and Slovene NGO FOCUS are calling on the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to review their plans to provide 650 million euros in loans for the controversial 600 MW TES 6 block at Slovenian lignite plant Sostanj.
Vinci concession exposed as cover for oligarchs and tax havens in Russia’s first road PPP
April 30, 2011
An opaque web of offshore companies and oligarchs behind the controversial Moscow–St. Petersburg motorway public-private partnership provides new grounds for the Russian government to re-examine the project, according to new research by CEE Bankwatch Network and the Movement to Defend Khimki Forest, published today.
Ignoring Chernobyl lessons: How EU ‘energy security’ expands nuclear industry in Ukraine
April 26, 2011
Kiev — On the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, while the world still struggles with the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, CEE Bankwatch Network issues a startling report showing how plans of the Ukrainian government to build 22 new nuclear reactors and extend the lifetime of old Soviet reactors are indirectly supported with European public money as part of the long-term EU energy security strategy.
Time is running out for EU decisive action on resource efficiency, warns Bankwatch
April 22, 2011
As the European Commission prepares to launch the Roadmap for a resource-efficient Europe, CEE Bankwatch Network warns that EU climate targets cannot be achieved in the absence of binding energy efficiency and sectoral resource efficiency targets, backed up by appropriate financial support.
NGOs welcome EP call on EIB to phase out fossil fuels lending
April 7, 2011
Strasbourg — Voting today on the 2009 annual report of the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Parliament (EP) has called on the bank to “bring its operations fully into line with an EU objective of a swift transition to a low-carbon economy and to adopt a plan for the phase-out of fossil fuel lending.”
NGOs call for investigation into EIB financing for the Mediterranean region
March 23, 2011
Counter Balance and CEE Bankwatch Network are calling for an investigation into the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) financing in the Southern Mediterranean region in the past, before giving the bank a leading role in distributing European financial support for the region.
Keep European public banks out of Mediterranean region, say NGOs
March 9, 2011
This week, EU leaders are meeting to agree on a common response to events in the Mediterranean. A coalition of Western and Eastern European NGOs issues a serious warning that the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development are not the right institutions to financially support the transition in the Middle East and North Africa.
Economic liberalisation trumps democratisation in EU Neighborhood Policy, says Bankwatch
March 2, 2011
The strategic review of the European Neighbourhood Policy initiated by the European Commission last year should ensure that funds disbursed through the ENPI mechanism truly promote the development of democratic institutions, human rights and environmental sustainability in Partnership countries, says CEE Bankwatch Network.
Bankwatch urges EC to make sure all budget support procedures in Ukraine are transparent
February 25, 2011
CEE Bankwatch Network acknowledges the motivations of the European Commission decision to temporarily suspend 30 million euros budget support because of faulty public procurement procedures. Bankwatch urges the EC to inspect all untransparent practices associated with the budget support they provide, not only in the area of public procurement.
