Response to statements regarding CEKOR in the Serbian media
June 9, 2016
CEKOR, as a non-governmental watchdog organisation, has since 1999 strived to promote sustainable development in Serbia and has a strong track record in supporting local communities harmed by development projects to advocate for their rights.
Success: Romanian government promises to respect property of villagers threatened by coal mine
May 24, 2016
After months of protests and the people in Runcurel, a small town in Romania that is to be swallowed by a lignite mine, have finally received positive news from the Romanian government. During a meeting with Bankwatch Romania and Greenpeace Romania, the Minister for Energy Vlad Grigorescu confirmed that the government will do more to protect locals and their houses. Read more background in our photo story
Update on resettlements at Kolubara mine and other EPS operations
May 11, 2016
In October 2015 the independent Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM) of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development found that the bank breached its environmental and social policy with regards to safeguarding the rights of communities impacted by mining operations of the Serbian state energy company EPS.
New agreement for Georgian Khudoni dam signals expropriations and tariff hike
March 31, 2016
After hitting a snag, the Khudoni dam in Georgia’s mountains is back in the game threatening to expropriate private lands and to bump up electricity prices for Georgian consumers. The controversial changes in an amended contract have inflamed the passion of the Svans who have for years tried to protect their communities from flooding.
Public action: Mourning the demise of Czech responsibility for climate action
October 12, 2015
Video and pictures from a public action agains lifting the coal mining limits in the Czech Republic that so far have saved towns from being resettled.
When environmental improvement becomes resettlement – lessons from Serbia’s Kolubara mine
September 25, 2015
European financial institutions and Serbian authorities have failed to address the human impacts of resettlement in Serbia’s lignite mining fields, a new study shows.
A clear and present danger – How financial institutions and authorities have failed to address the human impacts of resettlement in Serbia’s lignite mining fields
September 25, 2015
This study shows how the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has failed to enforce several of its basic principles on involuntary resettlement in the Kolubara Mining Basin, one of the largest sources of lignite in Europe, where mining has continued for over fifty years.
Khudoni hydropower plant, Georgia
April 28, 2015
While a mountain community will have to be forced to resettle for this mega-project, the opaque ownership and weak taxation mean that benefits for Georgia are highly doubtful.
Guest post: Resettlement process for Kosovo Power Project does not comply with international standards
February 3, 2015
A report being presented today analyses the process with which 7000 are to be resettled for the Kosovo lignite mine and concludes that the World Bank-financed process does not comply with the bank’s own standards and is plagued by a slew of other weaknesses.
UPDATE 7: Juncker on the investment offensive … against Europeans, the economy and the environment
January 22, 2015
Labelled the €1.3 trillion investment offensive, more than 2000 projects have been identified by the European Commission’s new Task Force on Investment (made up of representatives of the EC, EIB and member states) for fast-tracked financing from President Juncker’s recently announced €315 billion stimulus plan.
