Members of European Parliament ask European Commission to take firm position on nuclear transparency, public engagement and safety across Europe
May 10, 2017
In this joint letter, 18 members of the European Parliament, Nuclear Transparency Watch and CEE Bankwatch Network are asking the European Commission, as an opinion-making party of relevant international conventions, to provide leadership and express it …
New cases at UN and EU bodies against Ukraine’s prolongation of nuclear licenses
November 8, 2016
As pressure from civil society and governments is mounting, UN and EU bodies acknowledge Ukraine’s lack of accountability for plans to extend the lifetime of its nuclear fleet. The country could be found in breach of international law. Once again.
Ukraine’s nuclear energy fixation puts its European financiers to a test
September 5, 2016
In a meeting today, the Espoo Convention’s Implementation Committee will again discuss Ukraine’s compliance with the Convention’s rules. A look back at the last months does not suggest a positive outcome.
[Campaign update] Impact Assessment of Serbian Kostolac B3 coal plant nullified, two investigative reports published
August 3, 2016
Two reports by the Serbian Center for Investigative Journalism take stock of the problems surrounding the planned Kostolac B3 lignite power plant, including a recent court decision that cancelled the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment.
Ukraine’s nuclear programme and the Espoo Convention – letter to the Convention’s Implementation Committee
August 1, 2016
Espoo bodies sent several specific recommendations concerning its non-compliance with the Espoo Convention to Ukraine. Nonetheless Ukraine seems to be either ignoring those or taking insufficient steps towards compliance. Therefore Bankwatch summarises the state-of-play in this letter and asks the Implementation Committee to consider a number of steps to ensure the Convention’s requirements are properly met by Ukraine.
Time for Europe to stop supporting Ukraine’s risky nuclear power sector
May 18, 2016
Three decades after Chernobyl, nuclear power remains a mainstay of Ukrainian energy supply. Despite persistent safety problems, the Ukrainian government has approved lifetime extensions for four of its 15 nuclear units since 2010, and two more could be greenlighted later this year. What is more, Ukraine’s nuclear sector survives in part thanks to European support. The EU needs to stop supporting Kiev’s risky nuclear energy programme.
Europe’s false solutions for Ukraine’s energy woes
March 9, 2016
Current EU support is not just a distraction from the energy path Ukraine needs to take, it also puts countless communities in Ukraine and abroad at risk.
Letter to European Commission: Reconsider disbursement of loans for Ukraine nuclear project
August 10, 2015
In this letter, Bankwatch asks the European Commission to reconsider the disbursement of the Euratom and EBRD loans for the Ukraine nuclear safety upgrade programme that effectively enables the lifetime extensions at Ukraine’s nuclear reactors. The letter provides evidence for the intertwined character of the upgrade programme and the lifetime extensions and for Ukraine’s refusal to meet its obligations under international conventions.
EBRD money and nuclear safety in Ukraine: Being a lender does not guarantee leverage
May 12, 2015
The EBRD has denied its role in enabling Ukraine’s ageing units to operate beyond their design lifetime. It has also claimed that through the loan it has important leverage over its client Energoatom to help ensure a proper level of nuclear safety and the compliance with Ukraine’s international commitments in the nuclear energy sector. However, developments in January-May 2015 show the EBRD has been over-optimistic about the role and leverage it has gotten by granting the loan for the safety upgrade project.
Ukraine’s Other Chernobyls
April 30, 2015
For safety reasons, Europe must help the Ukrainian government retire, not revive, its nuclear reactors. (This commentary originally appeared on Project Syndicate.)
