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EU funds spending plans in Hungary: the dark side is in the details
February 2, 2016
 | by Alexa Botar

Hungary allocates a relatively high amount of EU Funds to energy but an in-depth analysis shows a lack of direct, non-refundable support in renovation of residential buildings, significant finance for burning instead of preventing waste and potentially unsustainable use of biomass.

biomass, Cohesion Policy, incineration, renewables
EU funds spending plans in Estonia: The long and rocky path away from shale oil
February 1, 2016
 | by Kadri Green

While Estonia plans to use a large part of its EU funds investments for infrastructure projects in the public sector, there is no real political will to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

climate action, Cohesion Policy, oil shale, roads
EU Funds
Energy & climate, Transport, Resource efficiency
EU funds spending plans in Latvia: What's hidden behind the 'green veneer'?
January 29, 2016
 | by Juris Dilba

The millions of EU Cohesion Policy money are choosing the 'darker side' of Latvia's renewable energy sources.

biomass, climate action, Cohesion Policy, roads, solar, wind
EU Funds
Energy & climate, Transport, Resource efficiency
Bring on the money, don't ask for results. EU funds spending plans in the Czech Republic
January 28, 2016
 | by Ondrej Pasek

The Czech Republic’s EU funds’ documents tick all the formal boxes, but the carbon intensity of its economy will most likely not change much.

climate action, coal, Cohesion Policy, energy efficiency, graph
EU Funds
Energy & climate, Transport, Resource efficiency
What EU money can't buy: Poland's green energy transition just out of reach
January 26, 2016
 | by Julia Krzyszkowska

Billions of euros of European funds will be invested in Poland between 2014 and 2020 under the heading of sustainable development and climate action. But without sound strategies and political will to decarbonise its economy, Europe’s biggest coal addict is set to waste the transformative potential of EU money – and Brussels is letting it happen.

climate action, climate mainstreaming, Cohesion Policy, European Structural and Investment Funds, Regional Policy, renewables, roads
EU Funds
Energy & climate, Transport, Resource efficiency
Misuse of EU funds holds back Europe's clean energy transition
January 26, 2016
 | by Markus Trilling

The new member states from Central Europe misuse the EU funding aimed at decarbonising their energy systems.

biomass, climate action, Cohesion Policy, roads
EU Funds
Energy & climate, Transport, Resource efficiency
How to improve disclosure in World Bank public-private partnership projects?
January 19, 2016
 | by Pippa Gallop

The World Bank is currently inviting comments for its consultation on disclosure in public-private partnership projects. Deadline for inputs 29th February 2016.

budget, consultation, PPP, public debt, toolkit
World Bank Group
Social & economic impacts
UPDATED: New documents on European Investment Bank loans to Volkswagen
January 18, 2016
 | by Anna Roggenbuck

Documents obtained by Bankwatch provide more details for a European Investment Bank statement that its loans to Volkswagen may have been connected to the car makers use of cheating devices to rig emission tests.

dieselgate, emissions, pollution, Volkswagen, Werner Hoyer
EIB
Transport
Romania and the Energy Union: little more than wishful thinking
January 14, 2016
 | by Alexandru Mustata

When Maroš Šefčovič, the Commission's Vice President for the Energy Union visited Bucharest in October 2015 to discuss Romania’s role in the overhaul of Europe's energy sector, his speech seemed promising at first. It focused on renewables, energy efficiency and research and innovation – all issues that are rarely on the Romanian public agenda. But eventually, much like the Commission's assessment for Romania (pdf) that was presented during the visit, the message and its level of ambition felt more like much ado about nothing.

Bucharest, Energy Union, gas, Maroš Šefčovič, renewables
Energy & climate
Guest post: New report shows that New Kosovo Power Plant would worsen poverty and cripple a fragile economy
January 12, 2016
 | by Visar Azemi

No-one will 'freeze to death' if the planned lignite-fired power plant in Kosovo does not receive support from multilateral development banks, but if it does, low-income households may well end up choosing between electricity and food. How can an institution, whose very mission is to end poverty, justify this project?

costs, electricity tariffs, KOSID, Kosova e Re, lignite, poverty, state aid, study
World Bank Group
Energy & climate, Social & economic impacts

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