Renaissance des Rußes
July 4, 2013
Article available upon request
[Campaign update] Kolubara landslide: Images of devastation, people waiting for compensation
July 3, 2013
People in Junkovac (Serbia) are still waiting for information on how they will be compensated after a landslide connected to the Kolubara lignite mine has destroyed several houses and terrified the town one month ago.
Invest in haste, repent at leisure – Are IFIs behaving as if EU accession criteria and extreme energy losses do not exist in South East Europe?
June 25, 2013
South-eastern Europe is riddled with poor planning and corruption in the energy sector and its governments are proving slow to react to the challenges and opportunities offered by the decarbonisation agenda.
A tale of neglect: Energy finance figures from the Western Balkans
June 25, 2013
The neglect by international financial institutions of the Western Balkans sustainable energy potential will cost the region’s public heavily for years to come. Figures collected in a new study illustrate how the different international lenders perform in the region.
Development banks energy investments jeopardise the ability of Balkan accession countries to meet EU energy and climate targets, says new report
June 25, 2013
Brussels, Belgium – Heavy investments in fossil fuels by international financial institutions (IFIs) in the Western Balkans are hindering these countries’ compliance with EU accession requirements, finds a new report – “Invest in Haste, Repent at Leisure” – from civil society organizations CEE Bankwatch Network, SEE Change Net and WWF, created as part of the SEE SEP (South East Europe Sustainable Energy Policy) programme.
[Campaign update] Plomin project promoter not able to justify health risks of coal
June 21, 2013
Public discussions about the Plomin coal power plant’s health impacts show how both project promoters and public authorities prefer to ignore or play down uncomfortable arguments and evidence against the project.
[Campaign update] The reality of resettlement in Kolubara: Out of the frying pan into the fire
June 4, 2013
A quick visit to the Kolubara mining basin reveals that the resettlement there looks nothing like the presentation from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
How strong are human rights safeguards in the EBRD’s policies? Lessons learned from the Kolubara project
May 30, 2013
Experience with the implementation of the Environmental and Social Policy in the case of several controversial projects suggests that the EBRD’s environmental and social safeguards are not robust enough and need strengthened. The case of the Kolubara coal mine ‘Environmental Improvement’ project, Serbia illustrates how the policy places most responsibilities on the client, and EBRD assessment and monitoring are excessively reliant on input from the client, even in cases when feedback from NGOs and communities consistently contradicts the claims of the project sponsor.
Letter on Kolubara lignite mine to the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia
May 28, 2013
The letter brings the resettlement and expropriation issues that are connected to the Kolubara lignite mine to the attention of the EU’s representation in Serbia. Enclosed were recent letters to the EBRD and the Serbian finance minister (pdf) as well as a guardian article that illustrates the urgency of these problems.
Open letter to Serbian Minister for Finance and Economy concerning Kolubara resettlement
May 14, 2013
The open letter – signed by Srpski Centar Ekologije, Uneco Kolubara, and Bankwatch member group CEKOR – raises issues with resettlement and expropriations connected to the Kolubara lignite mine that are not adequately addressed.
