Open letter to EIB & EBRD: Sostanj must never happen again
March 20, 2013
After the EIB and the EBRD disbursed a promised 650 million euros for Slovenian lignite plant TES 6 on March 8, Focus Slovenia, CEE Bankwatch Network and 96 other NGOs sent this letter to the two banks calling on them to never commit to such a misguided loan again. The letter includes a list of reasons why Sostanj was undeserving of public loans and a set of measures that need to be taken by the banks immediately in order to avoid such mistakes from being repeated in the future.
[Campaign update] Woes in Kosovo’s energy sector trigger demand for Minister’s removal
March 18, 2013
Amid increasing public outcry over electricity prices and the privatisation of the KEDS distribution company, KOSID, an industrious NGO coalition from Kosovo has called for the dismissal of Besim Beqaj, the country’s Minster for Economic Development.
Europe’s public banks disburse EUR 650 million to Sostanj coal plant despite ongoing corruption charges
March 8, 2013
Ljubljana – The European Investment Bank announced today [1] that it would pay the remaining EUR 440 million out of a EUR 550 million loan [2] for the construction of a new 600 megawatt lignite unit at Sostanj [3] in Slovenia, and that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development would follow suite with its parallel EUR 100 million loan.
Yes Meni kontra EBI
March 8, 2013
Zanim opowiem wam coś zabawnego o pewnym banku, najpierw kilka słów wyjaśnienia. Nazywam się Mike Bonanno i jestem Yes Manem.
Coal power plants make you sick
March 7, 2013
A new report calculates the effects of coal-fired power generation across Europe on chronic lung disease and some heart conditions and the associated costs. It is another clue for both the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank to end support for coal as the two revise their energy policies.
EIB hit by activist hoax, pledges to continue hitting climate
March 7, 2013
The European Investment Bank’s annual press conference in the final week of February proved to be significantly more revealing about the bank’s commitment to fueling climate change than is the norm for the EU bank.
Dreams of European Investment Bank Quitting Coal Go Up in Smoke – For Now
February 28, 2013
Climate activists take responsibility for fake press release, bizarre award ceremony Brussels — The European Investment Bank (EIB) president Werner Hoyer was forced to say this morning, during the EIB’s annual press conference, that an announcement that the bank would give up lending to coal was “pure nonsense”. And this, despite the fact that Hoyer repeatedly referred to the EIB as a frontrunner in the fight against climate change.
Rio Tinto’s responsibilities in Mongolia extend beyond shareholders
February 15, 2013
New civil society recommendations for the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia illustrate that much more than the bottom line needs to be considered to avoid development at the expense of local communities.
Will the EBRD do the right thing for Kosovo, its newest member?
February 10, 2013
As Kosovo becomes a member of International Financial Institutions, such as the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, alarm bells are ringing about which model of development these bodies are pushing in the EU’s newest country.
A mostly accommodating lion’s den – the second civil society meeting with the EIB Board of Directors
February 8, 2013
A meeting of civil society and the European Investment Bank’s Board of Directors saw a surprising degree of agreement between two often adverse groups.
