Balkans

Sostanj lignite thermal power plant unit 6, Slovenia

Slovenia has built a new 600 MW unit at the Šoštanj lignite power plant (TEŠ6) which has turned out to be a financial disaster, as well as locking the country into a carbon-intensive future with tens of millions of annual losses for the next four decades.

Institution: EBRD, EIB

Theme: Energy & climate

Tirana Botanical Garden threatened by ring road

Last week, more than 33 Albanian civil society organizations -- including Bankwatch's Albanian partner organisation EDEN -- sent an open letter (pdf) to Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, protesting against the potential destruction of the Botanical Garden in Tirana.

Tags: biodiversity road transparency Balkans

Institution: EBRD

Theme: Transport, Balkans

EU funds briefing: future pre-accession assistance post-2013

Briefing | March 1, 2011

Institution: EU Funds

Kresna Gorge / Struma motorway, Bulgaria

The Struma motorway, part of the Trans European Corridor N4 Sofia-Athens is planned to go directly through the Kresna gorge, a NATURA 2000 site, and the town of Kresna - even though a comprehensive agreement stipulated in 2007 that this route would be avoided.

Institution: EU Funds

Theme: Transport

Shadow report on discrimination in Serbia doesn't cast the best light on EIB and EBRD

Roma's discrimination in Serbia is to be discussed by the UN. Serbian member group CEKOR is contributing with experience from the Gazela resettlement process.

Tags: human rights participation resettlement Balkans

Institution: EBRD, EIB

Theme: Transport

WikiLeaks cable confirms NGOs' worst fears about Belene nuke

A US diplomatic cable, originating from the WikiLeaks organisation and published in the Guardian newspaper just before Christmas, relates the serious misgivings of US Ambassador in Bulgaria, Nancy McEldowney, over the planned Belene nuclear power plant in Bulgaria.

Tags: nuclear Wikileaks Balkans

Theme: Energy & climate

EIB complaints office confirms shortcomings on Belgrade resettlement

After more than three months delay, the Complaints Office of the European Investment Bank recently released its concluding investigations (pdf) into the banks involvement in the resettlement of 175 predominately Roma families from underneath the Gazela bridge in Belgrade.

Tags: accountability complaint Gazela human rights resettlement success Balkans

Institution: EIB

Theme: Transport, Balkans

Can the international financial institutions do more to support new renewables and energy efficiency in south-east Europe?

Study | July 1, 2010

As Europe is greening its economy and gearing up to decarbonise by 2050, most south-east European (SEE) countries still view energy efficiency and renewable energy as greens on the side of their main dish. Coal power and large hydropower are still the favourites on the menu, as they depend on indigenous resources and keep energy import dependency lower.

Institution: EBRD, EIB

Theme: Energy & climate

Transparency allergy reappears at EIB, crisis billions still cloaked in confidentiality

February 4, 2010

CEE Bankwatch Network today criticised the European Investment Bank (EIB) for adopting a new transparency policy that persists in keeping the final destination of billions of publicly backed money unknown to the public.

Institution: EIB

Tags: policy, transparency, Balkans, Central Asia, EU, Global South

New 'homes' in Serbian temporary settlements are still far from acceptable

On 31 August 2009 the inhabitants of the Gazela informal settlement in Belgrade were resettled to temporary accommodation at four sites outside of Belgrade. After a visit conducted by partner group CEKOR in September which found a number of important issues needing to be addressed, Bankwatch carried out a follow-up fact-finding mission on 6-8 October 2009.

Tags: Gazela human rights resettlement Roma Serbia Balkans

Institution: EBRD, EIB

Theme: Transport, Social & economic impacts