NGO coalition statement on the future Cohesion Policy post-2013
January 31, 2011
On the occasion of the 5th Cohesion Forum, the Coalition for Sustainable EU Funds lays out their common vision on the future Cohesion Policy in this paper.
Bankwatch contribution to the public consultation process of the Green Paper on the future of EU budget support to third countries
January 31, 2011
For several years now, Bankwatch has monitored EU budget support in east European Neighbourhood Partnership (ENP) countries. In our submission to the public consultation we reflect on how EU budget support can become more effective and efficient for countries within the ENP/ENPI framework.
Bankwatch input to the EC’s consultation on bio-waste recycling targets
January 31, 2011
Bankwatch’s comments support the introduction of a biowaste directive as the only way to implement the EU waste hierarchy in central-eastern European (CEE) countries.
Bankwatch input to the EBRD’s public information policy review – stage one: comments on the existing policy
January 28, 2011
Bankwatch’s submission draws heavily on earlier comments (pdf) provided by Bankwatch and the Global Transparency Initiative during the 2007/2008 PIP review but also includes amendments from our experiences with the current policy’s implementation. A particular cause for concern is the lack of transparency in case of global loans given to financial intermediaries.
Civil society letter to IFC requesting to include lessons learned from the Chad-Cameroon and BTC pipeline projects in the assessment process of the Nabucco pipeline project
January 20, 2011
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is considering financing the Nabucco gas pipeline project. Should the IFC decide to finance the project, it risks repeating the serious economic, environmental, social and human rights mistakes associated with the Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan (BTC) and Chad-Cameroon pipeline projects and involving the World Bank Group in another highly problematic, politicized and economically and environmentally unsustainable project.
The EIB’s and EBRD’s role in changing the Polish energy market
January 20, 2011
The European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development can play a crucial role in a transition of the Polish energy market towards energy efficient energy production based on renewable energies.
Letter to European Commission suggesting further priority measures to guide the Commission’s resource efficiency flagship initiative
January 19, 2011
Bankwatch welcomes the European Commissions “A resource efficient Europe – flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 Strategy” as an effort to build a holistic approach to resource efficiency. This letter suggests further priority measures that should guide this initiative and proposes an integration of resource efficiency in different EU policies and actions.
Letter to EBRD President Thomas Mirow requesting public withdrawal from the Moscow – St.Petersburg motorway project routed through Khimki forest
December 17, 2010
While the EBRD has repeatedly expressed its concerns about the project development process for this project, it has so far refrained from making any final decisions on whether to finance the road or not. We believe the time has now come for the bank to clearly and publicly withdraw from the project.
Letter to EIB President Maystadt requesting the bank’s withdrawal from the Moscow – St.Petersburg motorway project routed through Khimki forest
December 17, 2010
While the EIB has repeatedly assured of its efforts to improve the project’s planning and public consultation process, recent developments show that these efforts have not been successful. We believe the time has now come for the bank to clearly and publicly withdraw from the project.
Missing in action – The winners, the losers and the unknowns of the European Investment Bank’s anti-crisis SME offensive in central and eastern Europe
December 8, 2010
In 2008, the EIB’s deployed an additional EUR 15 billion to its ‘global loan’ lending – as a response to the financial crisis and the difficulty for small and media sized enterprises to access finance. In essence, the package appears to have remained to a large extent in the intermediary banks, the initial recipients of the funding.
