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Guest post: Behind the glitz of oil riches - the shrinking space for democracy in Azerbaijan

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Last week, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved a loan over half a billion dollars for Lukoil’s share in the Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan. In this guest post, rights activist Emma Hughes from Platform reflects on how business as usual resumes after the media attention on Azerbaijan’s human rights abuses has faded.


Resavica: Serbia's canary in the coal mine

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After decades of powering Serbia it seems the coal business in the country is on life support. Yet policymakers in Belgrade refuse to consider alternative sources of energy.


After Slovenia's Sostanj coal power plant debacle, is any bank going to finance Croatia's Plomin C?

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Slovenia's newly built Sostanj 6 is expected to generate losses of around EUR 200 million over the next 3-4 years. Given that Croatia's Plomin C project shares some of Sostanj 6's features could Croatia be about to repeat its neighbour's mistakes?


Azeri regime stifles criticism ahead of European Games. European lender must finally take measures.

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UPDATE 1 12h CET 12 June 2015

Platform have taken to the streets of London to protest the opening of the European Games. See a video of the action below, and read more in their book published Friday, All that glitters, which explores how the European Games belong to the Aliyev regime and the British oil company BP and how sport is being co-opted in the service of a dynasty and fossil fuels.

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Italian mayor stands up against EU priority gas pipeline

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Local opposition against the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP) is growing as an Italian mayor made clear in an open letter to the European Commission and European public banks.


Will energy efficiency be sidelined in the Energy Union's implementation?

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EU energy ministers are meeting in Brussels today to discuss the implementation of the Energy Union. Looking at what has been discussed so far, the strategy may not prioritise energy efficiency enough to help Europe become climate-friendly.


Transforming development finance? Europe's multilateral lenders fail on aid transparency

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The recently published 2015 Aid Transparency Review concludes that the European Union is off track from meeting its aid transparency commitments. Europe’s two multilateral development banks are indicative of the altogether rather disappointing outcome.


Europe's Caspian gas dreams - a nightmare come true for human rights in Azerbaijan

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As investors and officials are promoting a gas pipeline project from the Caspian Sea to Italy, the systematic repression of human rights in Azerbaijan is hardly on the official agenda. The Aliyev regime’s weakly veiled attempts to muzzle dissent illustrate how even the most repressive governments are acceptable partners for Europe’s pet energy projects.


Guest post: Plight of locals at Kumtor mine brought to Centerra Gold's general meeting in Toronto

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Journalist and researcher Ryskeldi Satke reports on Centerra Gold’s annual general meeting where mining activists presented shareholders with information on human rights violations and the negative environmental and social impacts of the Kumtor Gold mine.


Battles against cyanide continue in Romania

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After the epic battle against the Rosia Montana gold mine in Romania ended in success, many people still don't know that Romania and other countries in the region such as Bulgaria are still threatened by several gold mining proposals, some of which would involve the use of cyanide leaching.


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