Publications

Since the early 1990s, the EU has actively sought the development of both the oil and gas sectors in former Soviet republics. Energy security, the cornerstone of the EU’s foreign policy became the driving force behind the European Neighbourhood Policy. Investments through th…

Azerbaijan has been a part of the EU Neighbourhood Policy since 2004 and has enjoyed substantial support through investments in the energy sector. As a result of cooperation on energy projects, the EU is today Azerbaijan’s main trading partner, with bilateral trade amounting…

Between 2007-2014, Ukraine received from EU public institutions over EUR 2.5 billion for 56 projects in the country’s energy sector. This is the highest amount of support for the energy sector among all countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy, both by volume and numbe…

This briefing (an executive summary of an upcoming report) looks at energy investments by the EU in the Southern Mediterranean region and the impacts on the social, economic and environmental rights of citizens and communities by highlighting the compliance of these activiti…

Countries of the European Neighbourhood have received a boost to their energy sectors in the last decade, thanks in part to the prominent role played by the EU as a catalyst of both policy reforms and financing. This paper is the executive summary of an upcoming study that e…

In late September, shortly after news of VW’s emissions manipulation broke, CEE Bankwatch Network contacted the European Investment Bank (EIB) with a detailed request to disclose information about its immense support to VW Group. In view of the profound public interest in th…

The dieselgate scandal is symptomatic of a ‘better regulation’ agenda in favour of cutting compliance costs and replacing the role of the public regulator with corporate co- and self-regulation. More than 35 civil society organisations have signed this letter calling for imm…

In spite of positive elements the EBRD’s Draft Strategy for the Promotion of Gender Equality is unclear or appears to lack consistency in some parts. More importantly, the EBRD’s failure to take a rights-based approach to gender equality has resulted in a limited vision of g…

The Tsumeb smelter in Namibia belongs to Dundee Precious Metals, a Canadian company that operates and develops gold, copper and silver mines in Bulgaria, Armenia and Serbia. Investigating complaints about local pollution, Bankwatch member group Za Zemiata (BG) repeatedly req…

These comments on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the Nenskra hydropower plant in Georgia concludes that the quality of the submitted report is extremely poor. The report as well as the public hearings organised during its preparation do not comply with…

This report explains the importance of the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and argues why it must have the strongest objectives and targets as possible for SEE countries.

Following revelations about Volkswagen cheating in emissions tests and about the European Investment Bank’s substantial support for VW – including loans for research and development of cleaner engines, Bankwatch requested information on EIB loans to the car maker. The bank p…