EU

EIB commits to review tax haven policy

During the annual meeting between civil society and the EIB's Board of Directors, the European Investment Bank committed to review its outdated tax haven policy this year. The commitment which followed a letter from several NGOs expressing such demand, is the most concrete outcome of the meeting which took place on 3rd February in the bank's headquarters in Luxemburg.

Tags: accountability complaint mechanism EIB Ibori Nigeria Spain tax havens transparency EU Global South

Institution: EIB

Theme: Social & economic impacts

EIB lending for the Czech Operational Programme Transport 2007-2013

Briefing | February 12, 2014

The Operational Programme Transport 2007-2013 is expected to provide EUR 5.8 billion for transport projects in the Czech Republic. Of this amount, up to EUR 1.3 billion should come from the EIB via the Structural and Cohesion Funds Transport Framework Facility for 2007-2013, with some 55 percent earmarked for investments in new motorway corridors and the rest for upgrades to existing rail corridors. An analysis of the OP project showed many cases of misuse of the public funding.

Institution: EU Funds, EIB

Theme: Transport

Indicators to measure the results of EIB operations must differ inside and outside EU

Briefing | February 10, 2014

This briefing presents concern regarding the proposal to formalise one set of result measurement indicators for operations inside and outside of Europe. The EIB has worked now since 2012 on a framework for assessing and measuring development results for operations outside the EU called the Results Measurement Framework (REM). After its 2012 capital increase, the EIB began a revision of the Value-Added (VA) assessment of the bank’s operations within the EU and Pre-Accession countries. As a result, the Three Pillar Outcomes Assessment (3PA) was implemented in 2013.

Institution: EIB

Letter to Marubeni regarding Plomin (February 2014)

Advocacy letter | February 5, 2014

Theme: Energy & climate

EIB energy and climate action lending 2012 by the numbers

Briefing | February 3, 2014

The latest available lending figures from the European Investment Bank show a striking imbalance between what was invested in old and new EU Member States.

Institution: EIB

Theme: Energy & climate

UPDATED: Slovenia continues to fall into the economic abyss of the lignite plant at Sostanj

January 24, 2014

Ljubljana – The scandal-marred lignite plant TES 6 at Sostanj in Slovenia will likely cost 1.44 billion euros (2 billion US), more than double than what was initially predicted, and is due to produce annual losses of 50 million euros, show calculations recently revealed by Slovenian media. These cost escalations, predicted by NGOs critical of the project, should constitute a word of caution for other countries in South-Eastern Europe that are considering building new coal capacities.

Institution: EBRD, EIB

Theme: Energy & climate, Social & economic impacts

Tags: coal, TES6, Balkans, EU

Trains, planes and citizens' mobility - Axeing of Polish airport plan brings calls for improved train connections via EU funds

As countries around Europe strive in the first weeks of the year to conclude spending plans that will guide how they deploy billions of EU funds for the 2014-2020 budgetary period, last week saw a welcome move in Poland with the shelving of a controversial airport proposal that had been in line for EU support.

Tags: airports Cohesion Policy EU funds EU regions MFF Poland programming rail transport CEE EU

Institution: EU Funds

Theme: Transport

[Campaign update*] New legal complaint on Plomin C

Zelena akcija/Friends of the Earth Croatia has submitted a complaint to the Croatian Constitutional Court as part of its ongoing campaign to prevent the construction of the Plomin C power plant, which would be run on imported coal.

Tags: coal complaint Plomin Zelena Akcija Balkans EU

Theme: Energy & climate

TTIP puts the EU's environmental and social policies on the line

January 13, 2014

Source: , Euractiv

The European Commission has repeatedly promised civil society that the TTIP negotiations with the US will not lead to a race to the bottom on environmental protection, health and safety standards and consumer rights. But as negotiations progress, civil society groups on both sides of the Atlantic are increasingly feeling uneasy, ten leading NGOs write in an open letter.

Theme: Social & economic impacts, Other harmful projects

Tags: EU

A healthy environment for a good quality of life - The Green 10 top ten demands for the 2014 European Parliament elections

Advocacy letter | January 13, 2014

Europe is struggling to ﬁnd its way out of multiple crises. Austerity measures in reaction to the economic crisis are causing untold human suffering. The environmental crisis is continuing apace, endangering the well-being of future generations. Meanwhile, little has been done to put the region on an environmentally sustainable path. Ten of the leading environmental organisations in the EU, representing over 20 million Europeans, believe that the answers to these crises lie in smarter and more sustainable EU policies.

Institution: EU Funds