New arrests should dampen Serbia’s appetite for coal
February 4, 2015
Corruption cases continue to haunt Serbia’s coal sector as a new round of arrests last week has shown. They also illustrate how the dependence on coal creates vulnerabilities for Serbia’s energy sector and potentially its financiers, in particular in the aftermath of last year’s floods.
Time to stop shooting the messenger
November 4, 2014
Repression against civil society is on the rise, as the latest alarming case from Montenegro shows.
Zagreb Mayor arrested – and not before time
October 20, 2014
Something quite amazing happened yesterday evening in Zagreb. The Croatian police and the State Prosecutor announced that several people had been arrested on suspicion of a number of criminal corruption offences, abuse of office and peddling influence. Among the arrested were Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic, Head of Zagreb Holding municipal company Slobodan Ljubicic, the head of the ZET public transport company Ivan Tolic, head and part-owner of the CIOS metal recycling company Petar Pripuza and around 15 more un-named people.
Slovenia coal fraud charges serve as warning for other Balkan countries, say NGOs
October 15, 2014
Ljubljana, Slovenia: Slovenian police yesterday reported that ten people had been charged with fraud in relation to the beleaguered Sostanj 6 lignite power plant project, causing a suspected EUR 284 million in financial harm to Slovene electricity consumers. The charges serve as a new warning to decision-makers across the Western Balkans to closely scrutinise coal power plant projects planned across the region if the mistakes made in the Sostanj 6 project in Slovenia are not to be repeated, warned several NGOs today.
Winners and losers – Who benefits from high-level corruption in the South East Europe energy sector
June 24, 2014
Energy is one of the biggest economic sectors in south-eastern Europe and is set to grow even further with the region moving closer to the EU. The region has high potential for energy efficiency and sustainable renewable energy investments. Yet, as this study illustrates with a number of examples, countries have shown little ability to absorb investments at a large scale without systemic corruption and patronage. See also an interactive map with summaries for each case at https://bankwatch.org/SEE-energy-corruption
More repression, more money – Financing transition in Egypt
May 27, 2014
New cases of arbitrary repression against civil society happened in the run-up to the presidential elections in Egypt. A look at the loans so far approved by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development suggests that those in power have been more successful in receiving the bank’s support.
10 years since EU accession: less than we hoped for
May 1, 2014
It’s not that easy to pull off a celebratory mood this 1st of May, even though on this date we mark the anniversary of 10 years since most of central and eastern Europe joined the European Union.
Whose Energy Community? Treaty improvements urgently needed
March 20, 2014
The EU-backed Energy Community Treaty, signed in 2005 and comprising the western Balkan countries, Ukraine and Moldova, has been widely hailed as encouraging regional co-operation. It also sets a legislative framework for the signatories (also known as the contracting parties) that should contribute, along with the EU accession process, to addressing the environmental and social impacts of the energy sector. Indeed, examples of the Energy Community’s added value are its adoption of renewable energy targets in October 2012, as well as a requirement for power plants to comply with EU emissions limits.
Slovenia’s shoddy Šoštanj 6 busts the myth of cheap lignite power
March 20, 2014
Bankwatch has been monitoring and campaigning against the ill-conceived EBRD- and EIB-financed Unit 6 at Šoštanj in Slovenia for several years now. Yet the project never ceases to amaze with its myriad flaws and scandals – and the first few months of 2014 have been no exception.
Ukraine and the EBRD: More than technicalities derail the fight against corruption
February 6, 2014
Before claiming the moral high ground on fighting corruption in Ukraine, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development should first of all brush up its own transparency policy and drop old-fashioned arguments in favour of confidentiality and secret conditionalities in its projects.
