EU

Based on analysis of Partnership Agreements and experiences of 'partnership' in current programming, participants are regrettably forming the view that Member States’ current planning of Regional Development funding for the period 2014 -2020 fails to acknowledge that Europe’s current ecological footprint lays way beyond the planet’s carrying capacity and, as a consequence, that economic and regional development – fostered by the EU funds – has to transform production and consumption patterns to a sustainable level that does not over-exploit natural resources.

Coinciding with the beginning of international climate negotiations at the COP19/CMP9 in Warsaw and with many observers already questioning the Polish government's ambitions for the summit, Issue 57 of Bankwatch Mail introduces the country also known as Coal-land and finds (among many other things) people protesting (successfully) against the pervasive smell of coal in the air.

Coal may still very much be king in the minds of the Polish government but, on the evidence of a ground-breaking campaign over the last year in Krakow, the seeds have been sown for a citizens' revolution that could redraw the Polish energy sector and improve health and quality of life for towns and cities all across the country. Alongside effective campaigning, EU money is playing a role in these developments, and has the potential to do a lot more.

Dear Participant to the 19th UN Climate Summit, welcome to Poland! Let us introduce you to the country hosting the climate conference this year, and provide you with a short overview of the land and its people. This is indeed information you may not find in official Polish government brochures.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the last of three multilateral international financial institutions (IFIs) to undertake a revision of its energy lending this year, is scheduled to adopt a new energy policy on December 10. The EBRD’s policy review process follows similar reviews at both the European Investment Bank and the World Bank that have seen both institutions introduce conditions intended to restrict their respective lending to coal projects.

Climate change is still, for a lot of people, an abstract, complex issue. It remains difficult to mobilise people against the coal industry as they are not always able to make the connection between fossil fuels, climate change and health problems such as asthma. The Cough4Coal campaign, to be formally launched during COP 19 in Warsaw, aims to invigorate and inform the debate on how we should plan for future sustainable and healthy energy provision.

If a doctor could prescribe a healthy planet, drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions would be on the top of the list. In fact, such a prescription was developed by leading health advocacy organisations and handed over to delegates at the UNFCCC’s COP 15 in Copenhagen. The surprising thing about this prescription is that instead of costing money it actually results in considerable savings.

With only a few weeks to go until the end of the year, and the official start of the new EU budgetary period for 2014-2020 that will see billions of euros flow into central and eastern Europe (CEE), national governments are racing to finalise their EU spending allocations for the forthcoming seven-year period. But, according to new analysis and a data visualisation put together by Bankwatch and Friends of the Earth Europe, CEE member states look set to pass up the opportunity to devote adequate funds for green projects and initiatives.