Blogs

Hungary allocates a relatively high amount of EU Funds to energy but an in-depth analysis shows a lack of direct, non-refundable support in renovation of residential buildings, significant finance for burning instead of preventing waste and potentially unsustainable use of biomass.

While Estonia plans to use a large part of its EU funds investments for infrastructure projects in the public sector, there is no real political will to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

The millions of EU Cohesion Policy money are choosing the 'darker side' of Latvia's renewable energy sources.

The Czech Republic’s EU funds’ documents tick all the formal boxes, but the carbon intensity of its economy will most likely not change much.

Billions of euros of European funds will be invested in Poland between 2014 and 2020 under the heading of sustainable development and climate action. But without sound strategies and political will to decarbonise its economy, Europe’s biggest coal addict is set to waste the transformative potential of EU money – and Brussels is letting it happen.

The new member states from Central Europe misuse the EU funding aimed at decarbonising their energy systems.

The World Bank is currently inviting comments for its consultation on disclosure in public-private partnership projects. Deadline for inputs 29th February 2016.

Documents obtained by Bankwatch provide more details for a European Investment Bank statement that its loans to Volkswagen may have been connected to the car makers use of cheating devices to rig emission tests.

When Maroš Šefčovič, the Commission's Vice President for the Energy Union visited Bucharest in October 2015 to discuss Romania’s role in the overhaul of Europe's energy sector, his speech seemed promising at first. It focused on renewables, energy efficiency and research and innovation – all issues that are rarely on the Romanian public agenda. But eventually, much like the Commission's assessment for Romania (pdf) that was presented during the visit, the message and its level of ambition felt more like much ado about nothing.

No-one will 'freeze to death' if the planned lignite-fired power plant in Kosovo does not receive support from multilateral development banks, but if it does, low-income households may well end up choosing between electricity and food. How can an institution, whose very mission is to end poverty, justify this project?