Nenskra HPP: the concerns of worried locals fall on deaf ears of project developers
October 12, 2017
In an interview, a teacher from Chuberi in the Svaneti mountains gave us an impression of how the project developers of the planned Nenskra dam engage with locals.
Georgia’s highlanders against hydropower
September 20, 2017
As the Georgian government moves ahead with its plans for increasing the country’s hydropower capacity, local communities are being sidelined in the process of compensation payments.
Bulgaria’s Struma motorway becomes test case for European Commission’s commitment to EU nature protection law
September 14, 2017
With crude manipulations, the Bulgarian government is trying to push through a contended motorway route that would damage the country’s biodiversity hotspot in breach of EU law and international conventions. It expects that the European Commission will sit, watch and pay for it.
EU funds in central and eastern Europe: ‘partnership principle’ still not translating to ‘partnership in practice’
August 29, 2017
A new report assesses the state of play with the involvement of civil society partners in EU funds.
Commission must involve the people in next EU budget debate
July 5, 2017
French President Emmanuel Macron is right to propose public debates on the Future of Europe. But the EU budget is where change will first manifest itself.
National and local levels play secondary role in Green Climate Fund, European Investment Bank project illustrates
April 25, 2017
The use of international financial institutions to manage projects within the Green Climate Fund framework has been criticised as too far removed from communities and those affected by the investments. Recently approved projects, the biggest of them administered by the European Investment Bank confirm this view, despite willingness to include civil society.
The EU budget: Unlocking a new vision for Europe
March 20, 2017
The key to unlocking a more inspiring and politically winnable New Vision for a strong Europe may well be the next European budget.
Lack of transparency hindering Czech export agency
February 15, 2017
Although not an institution that typically receives much fanfare, the export credit agency (ECA) in the Czech Republic has a poor track record worthy of more scrutiny. Its latest failure relates to a contract for the construction of a power plant in Tu …
Skeletons are hiding in the closet of Europe’s energy policy – letter to Maroš Šefčovič on the EU’s support for nuclear energy
December 1, 2016
Accompanied by a public action, Bankwatch and Global 2000 presented European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič with this open letter. The letter points out the inconsistencies behind European public money supporting lifetime extension of soviet era nuclear reactors in Ukraine, which are made in violation of international environmental conventions and with insufficient implementation of safety requirements. So far, the EU’s support for Ukraine is a bad precedent for nuclear decision-making across Europe. It is time to set things straight!
Here be dragons: How the EU bank’s development finance overlooks people at risk
November 18, 2016
The European Investment Bank’s failure in safeguarding the most vulnerable groups in its projects shows it is ill-equipped to help refugees and host communities in the European Union’s neighbourhood. A new report explains the bank’s weaknesses in identifying and responding to human rights risks.
