EU neighbourhood

In this joint letter, 18 members of the European Parliament, Nuclear Transparency Watch and CEE Bankwatch Network are asking the European Commission, as an opinion-making party of relevant international conventions, to provide leadership and express its clear support for the findings of relevant committees during the upcoming Meetings of Parties of Espoo Convention in June and of the Aarhus Convention in September, in favour of a coherent application of the Espoo and Aarhus Conventions to nuclear lifetime extensions.

Serbia’s national electricity company (EPS) – despite its long-standing relationship with the EBRD, and despite Serbia‘s obligation to align its legislation to the EU’s environmental, competition, human rights and climate policies – does not plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to change the structure of its electricity mix in favour of renewables, or to respect human rights.

In spite of massive backing by public financial sources, Ukraine’s monopolist poultry producer does not implement relevant EU and EBRD standards, and the EBRD has said it is satisfied that the company’s operations are in compliance with national law, which is anyway not the case at present.

Ukrainian company Myronivsky Hliboproduct PJSC (MHP) is a long-term client of both the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation. MHP development has faced local opposition in a number of communities. Activists leading the opposition to MHP operations seem to have been framed for drug-related offences and/or beaten. Information on the incidents listed below is available in the public domain, however, they show only the tip of the iceberg.

While the EBRD is currently considering loans for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and TANAP, both part of the Southern Gas Corridor, the bank should asses the reputational and financial risks of involvement in the project.