The EBRD and coal. Dirty business unnoticed.
October 3, 2011
Despite numerous international calls for the discontinuation of public support for fossil fuels in the face of climate change, the EBRD continues to finance the dirtiest among them, coal. What is more, the bank plans to expand its activities in this field. CEE Bankwatch Network urges the EBRD to phase out any support for coal industry making it more competitive and disadvantaging sustainable energy.
Request for information on EIB role in Ostroleka C coal-fired power plant in Poland
October 3, 2011
Press information from September 2011 suggested that ENERGA S.A. is holding conversations with the European Investment Bank about financing a new coal-fired unit in Rzekun also referred to as Ostroleka C. With this letter, Bankwatch inquired whether the EIB is having conversations with ENERGA S.A. and if yes, at which stage they are.
Commentary: Will civil society have a say with the EBRD in the Southern Mediterranean?
September 30, 2011
Preparing for its expansion of operations to the Southern Mediterranean region, the EBRD, after four months of silence, held a consultation meeting with five non-governmental organisations. This briefing gives a short overview over the transparency challenges that lie behind and ahead of the affected civil society.
Bankwatch Mail 49
September 21, 2011
This edition focuses mostly on the European Investment Bank and EU funds related issues. Among the questions we discuss are: How is the EU budget, this 1 trillion euro process, shaping up, and will sustainability finally have a bigger role? and Will EIB investments in the Southern Mediterranean bring benefits to the people there or to Western companies?
EU funds briefing: Transport cohesion on the right track?
September 5, 2011
This paper describes experiences with the EU funded Transport Operational Programmes (further referred to as OPTs) in four central and eastern European countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Poland. Individual country reports have been produced after 4 and a half years of the respective OPTs” implementation in the current EU budgetary period 2007-2013, and they identify the main facts, weak points and lessons learned in the process of preparation and implementation of the programmes.
Report from a fact finding mission to ArcelorMittal Temirtau
August 15, 2011
ArcelorMittal received a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for health and safety improvements in its Kazakh coal mines. While fatal accidents at the mines continue, the company has so far not provided sufficient information to allow the project’s assessment. We visited Temirtau to talk with miners directly about the company’s health and safety performance. Video testimonies can also be seen on our website.
The Polnoc power plant in Poland. A plan for the biggest greenfield coal project in Europe.
August 10, 2011
At a whopping 2000 MW, the planned Polnoc power plant (Elektrownia Polnoc) in northern Poland would be the largest greenfield coal-fired power plant in Europe. Located in the Pomerania region, which until now has had no coal industry and in recent years has witnessed an unprecedented surge in the wind energy projects, the plant would sit perilously close to three Natura 2000 sites and cool itself with waters from the nearby Vistula river.
Gender and international financial institutions. A guide for civil society.
August 10, 2011
The toolkit is based on experiences of different Bankwatch campaigners who have witnessed all kinds of problems caused by internationally sponsored projects. The toolkit is meant to support NGOs from the early steps of their engagement with IFI-sponsored projects. It gives hints about how to identify potential gender related problems and shows ways to prepare for the prevention or mitigation of such problems.
Bankwatch Mail 8
August 7, 2011
In this issue: Kyoto in Bonn * Combating poverty in Georgia * Oil revenues for Weapons * Nukes in Ukraine * EIB Info Policy * EBRD – Language Apartheid * PVC ban in Slovakia * Two new World Bank strategies * Yugoslavia Gets USD 1,3 billion
Comments on the draft EBRD country strategy for the Kyrgyz Republic
August 5, 2011
As the Kyrgyz Republic is an Early Transition Country with limited capacity for additional external borrowing and in light of recent political events in the country, Bankwatch emphasizes that the EBRD must carefully weigh and analyse any project it considers for financing in this particularly vulnerable country.
