EIB commits to review tax haven policy
February 14, 2014
During the annual meeting between civil society and the EIB’s Board of Directors, the European Investment Bank committed to review its outdated tax haven policy this year. The commitment which followed a letter from several NGOs expressing such demand, is the most concrete outcome of the meeting which took place on 3rd February in the bank’s headquarters in Luxemburg.
Funny business as usual in the Czech Republic – one of the biggest fines in EU funds history handed out to Prague metro project
November 13, 2013
The manipulation of a tender for a metro line extension in Prague – financially supported via EU funds and the European Investment Bank (EIB) has not only resulted in a huge EU funds fine, but also raises questions about the EIB’s ability to identify and avoid mismanagement in the infrastructure projects it finances.
Groups petition Polish government to drop permit for Europe’s largest planned coal plant
August 26, 2013
On Monday Polish NGOs Client Earth, Workshop for all Beings, Greenpeace, WWF and local community group Eco-Kociewie petitioned the General Director of Environmental Protection to cancel the environmental impact assessment permit for the Polnoc Power Plant in northern Poland.
All eyes on the EBRD – will it go coal free?
August 14, 2013
In case you missed it, the tectonic plates just shifted in the world of international financial institution (IFI) energy lending.
UPDATED: A guide to examining the European Investment Bank’s energy lending portfolio
July 17, 2013
A thorough check of the European Investment Bank’s energy lending data shows that not all is as rosy as the EIB would like to see it. We’ve paired up with Open Spending to provide an introduction into how to interpret and scrutinise the numbers.
The EU’s bank is less ambitious than the US in restricting energy from coal
July 5, 2013
It may have been easy in the past for Europeans to bash the US for being retrograde when it comes to climate policies, but after last week it will get more difficult to do that.
A tale of neglect: Energy finance figures from the Western Balkans
June 25, 2013
The neglect by international financial institutions of the Western Balkans sustainable energy potential will cost the region’s public heavily for years to come. Figures collected in a new study illustrate how the different international lenders perform in the region.
Face the future: Members of European Parliament discuss energy lending of European public banks
June 3, 2013
A roundtable discussion on European public banks and energy lending brought together Members of the European Parliament and non-governmental organisations, while the public banks themselves chose to stay away.
The European Investment Bank’s energy lending: stuck in the past or facing the future?
May 23, 2013
The European Investment Bank, the house bank of the European Union, which directs a fifth of its annual lending portfolio of 60 to 70 billion euros to energy projects, is currently reviewing the policy document that guides its lending to the power sector. On this occasion, Bankwatch is publishing a poster of positive and negative examples of the bank’s lending to energy projects.
The climate crisis and the role of Europe’s public banks
April 22, 2013
With each passing day, there is less chance that we will manage to keep the planet within the “safe” limit of two degrees Celsius global warming that would avoid disastrous climate change. The European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development can play a pivotal role in leveraging more private investment for sustainable energy. Both institutions are now reviewing their energy lending policies.
