To mobilise investments for energy efficiency, Commission needs to put money where its mouth is
August 26, 2015
Clear guidance is needed more than public assurances to make the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) be indeed a vehicle for energy efficiency. Counter to public statements, the current set-up does not promise to be effective.
Romanian environmental inspectorate orders closure of two coal plants operating outside EU pollution laws
June 30, 2015
Last week the Environmental Inspectorate in Hunedoara, Romania demanded the closure of two thermal power plants at Mintia and Paroşeni, because neither of the units complies with air quality requirements of the EU’s Large Combustion Plants Directive (LCPD). Hunedoara Energy Complex, which manages the Mintia and Paroşeni plants, has challenged the decision in court.
Juncker’s investment package to be hijacked by countries’ destructive plans
December 8, 2014
Brussels – A list of projects member states want to see financed from the Juncker investment package has been made public in expectation of tomorrow’s summit where finance ministers will discuss the package. Coal, nuclear and incinerators are among the various countries’ priorities, which fail to add up to the long-term strategic plan to stimulate growth and sustainability in Europe that Juncker promised.
Juncker investment package shifts risk from private investors to EU taxpayers
November 26, 2014
Brussels – Today European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker will present his widely anticipated 300 billion euro investment package aimed at stimulating growth in the European economy. Central to the InvestEU programme is a 21 billion euro allocation for the newly-created Euopean Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) that has to leverage 315 billion euro from private investors, or 15 times the amount of the fund.
Can the European Investment Bank move ahead of the pack on climate?
October 21, 2014
The European Investment Bank is gearing up for an increased role in spurring growth in Europe as set out by the new Juncker Commission. Yet as Europe’s 2030 climate targets are being undermined by some countries the bank that wants to be a leader in climate action must keep in mind that we can no longer afford growth without sustainability.
Europe’s finance ministers urged to stop EU Bank’s ‘extraordinary’ slide towards secrecy
September 11, 2014
Campaigners across Europe are urging the European Commission and their Ministers of Finance to halt a dangerous slide towards secrecy of the giant European Investment Bank (EIB), of which the EU member states are owners.
Corporate interest on way to win over the EU bank’s transparency policy
September 10, 2014
In the draft version of its new transparency policy the European Investment Bank is making access to information on its tens of billion euros lending harder than ever.
Can the EIB lead the European economy out of crisis by championing EU climate policy?
August 8, 2014
The European Investment Bank, the biggest multilateral public bank in the world by lending volume and the self-styled ‘EU bank’, has recently announced that it will be reviewing its approach to climate change in the coming months. According to comments made by EIB vice-president Philippe de Fontaine Vive to civil society representatives, “The EIB wants to position itself between this October’s anticipated EU 2030 climate agreement and the Paris COP 21 meeting in December 2015”.
Opportunities and expectations towards the EIB climate policy review
July 24, 2014
After effectively phasing out lending to lignite and coal-fired power plants in its energy policy in 2013, the EIB is now reviewing its climate policy. This joint NGO letter expresses the expectations towards the EIB to align its lending further with climate science and the EU Roadmap 2050 by proposing a genuine strategy for the bank to phase out funding for projects that are detrimental to the climate and to mainstream climate considerations into each and every sector of operations the Bank is engaged in.
Civil society recommendations for the European Investment Bank’s transparency policy
July 1, 2014
As the EIB prepares the review of its 2010 transparency policy, the signatories of this letter convey key positions and concerns regarding the policy and how we believe it needs to be amended.
