Montenegrin NGOs counter Varhelyi pledge on LNG terminal
October 24, 2023
27 civil society organisations have sent a joint letter to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, (1) questioning a recent statement by Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi that the EU would help Montenegro to build a liquified gas (LNG) terminal at the port of Bar (2), and calling on the EU not to support the project.
Thousands demand European development bank stops financing fossil fuels
September 27, 2023
Over 6200 emails have been sent to the European Bank for Reconstruction Development (EBRD) calling for its next energy policy to end financing for fossil fuels and step up investments in the energy transition.
Bulgarian court rules out Sofia waste incinerator plant due to unassessed health risks and lack of public consultation
September 26, 2023
After eight years of litigation, Sofia’s Administrative Court overturned the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a waste incineration plant in the Bulgarian capital. Expected to burn processed waste in the form of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), the plant would have put the health of Sofia’s residents at risk, polluted the air, generated toxic ash and created additional traffic, the court ruled.
Skavica mega dam: Albanian court to scrutinise special law for U.S. contractor Bechtel
September 21, 2023
Nature conservation and human rights organisations have secured an important first milestone in the fight against the planned 210 MW Skavica hydropower plant in the Albanian municipalities of Kukës and Dibër.
Civil society groups urge the EBRD to rethink mining investments
September 20, 2023
Twenty civil society organisations from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Mongolia, Uganda, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, as well as seven international environmental and human rights organisations, are calling on the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to reconsider its approach to mining investments.
Legal challenges hit Greece – North Macedonia gas pipeline plans
September 19, 2023
Non-governmental organisations CEE Bankwatch Network and Eko-svest have submitted three formal complaints alleging legal breaches in the planned Greece – North Macedonia fossil gas pipeline project.
Renewables boost much-needed, but weakening of environmental safeguards inexcusable
September 12, 2023
The European Parliament plenary today approved an updated Renewable Energy Directive setting a new renewable target of 42.5 per cent by 2030. The changes give a much-needed boost to small-scale solar and heat pumps, but undermine existing environmental legislation. Some renewables will be allowed to skip crucial environmental assessments and more damaging projects will be allowed in the EU’s protected natural areas.
Complaint filed against EBRD: labour rights violations, land grabs and exploitation at cotton producer Indorama Agro in Uzbekistan
September 5, 2023
On 3 August 2023, Uzbek Forum for Human Rights (Uzbek Forum), assisted by Bankwatch Network, filed a complaint with the Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM) of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for human rights violations at Indorama Agro, one of Uzbekistan’s largest cotton producers.
Civil society calls on public development banks to overhaul their approach to development
September 4, 2023
As a member of the Coalition for Human Rights in Development, Bankwatch has joined civil society organisations and human rights defenders from over 20 countries in calling for immediate and effective action from public development banks.
Three governments are seeking EU money to deepen fossil gas dependence under the guise of energy emergency
July 27, 2023
Although the EU has managed to brave the energy emergency triggered by Russia’s assault on Ukraine, a Bankwatch report released today reveals that the Polish, Croatian and Bulgarian governments are still seeking at least EUR 1.5 billion in EU public money to build new fossil gas infrastructure under the guise of an emergency response.
