Home >> News Media >> Bankwatch blog

Bankwatch blog

Guest post: Development banks and the Arab Spring, new report takes stock
May 6, 2013
 | by Berber Verpoest

A new report takes a critical look at the engagement of European development banks in Egypt after the popular uprisings in the Middle East and North African region. This article appeared originally on the Counter Balance blog and has been shortened and slightly edited.

Arab Sping, dictatorships, Egypt, employment, human rights, PPP, public-private partnerships
EBRD, EIB, World Bank Group
Social & economic impacts
Guest post: New studies fail to prove that the Ombla hydroplant is fit for EBRD financing
April 22, 2013
 | by Jagoda Munic

The EBRD's involvement in the Ombla hydropower plant project has from the start been a story of insufficient scrutiny and cutting procedural corners, followed by an attempt to patch things up by commissioning a belated nature impact assessment. The assessment highlights the Ombla area's natural importance and captures some of the harm that would be done by the dam, but fails to draw the right conclusions, says Jagoda Munic, President of Friends of the Earth International and Biodiversity Programme Co-ordinator at Zelena akcija/Friends of the Earth Croatia.

biodiversity, Croatia, endemic species, hydropower, Ombla, Vilina Cave
EBRD
Other harmful projects
EBRD with disastrous start in Kosovo, European Parliament not amused
April 19, 2013
 | by Ionut Apostol

The European Parliament yesterday chastised the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for its explicit interest in financing a new lignite-fired power plant in Kosovo. NGOs hope the bank will pay more attention to the Parliament than it did to civil society and energy experts so far.

coal, EBRD, energy, energy efficiency, energypolicy, fossil fuels, Kosovo, lignite
EBRD
Energy & climate
[Campaign update] Arctic Sunrise joins campaign against coal power plant in Croatia
April 17, 2013
 | by Sven Haertig-Tokarz

Yesterday Greenpeace's legendary ship Arctic Sunrise joined in the campaign against Plomin C, a coal-fired power plant in Croatia.

Arctic Sunrise, coal, Croatia, energypolicy, fossil fuels, Greenpeace, public action
EBRD
Energy & climate
[Campaign update] New bills for green energy in Serbia
April 16, 2013
 | by Nikola Perusic

By investing in Serbian lignite, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development cements the rigid structure of the country’s electricity market. Investing in energy efficiency instead could help reduce energy bills and free up further renewables funding.

coal, consumers, EBRD, electricity, Kolubara, lignite, price, Serbia
EBRD
Energy & climate
Shale gas in Poland: Government gags local opposition
April 12, 2013
 | by Ola Antonowicz

Poland’s government is hasting to adopt liberal shale gas legislation. It tries to avoid any interference by factually excluding local opposition movements and by pre-empting the development of an EU wide framework on unconventional fossil fuels.

corporations, democracy, fossil fuels, local impacts, protest, shale gas
Energy & climate, Other harmful projects
Guest post: A Russian journalist and Khimki forest activist is dead
April 10, 2013
 | by Mikhail Matveev and Ivan Smirnov

The news circulated yesterday that Mikhail Beketov, a Russian journalist who campaigned against corrupt practices in connection to the planned highway construction through Khimki Forest, has died. This guest post by Mikhail Matveev and Ivan Smirnov, fellow Khimki activists, tells Beketov's story.

guest post, human rights, Khimki, PPP
Transport, Social & economic impacts, Other harmful projects
Exposing the nuke-speak: responses to the EBRD's justification for financing nuclear lifetime extensions
March 29, 2013
 | by Iryna Holovko

In an unprecedented effort to defend its support for Ukraine’s nuclear programme the EBRD publicly replies to some of our objections. Several colleagues sent us their (sometimes outraged) rebuttals, which we include here in our rejoinder to the bank’s arguments.

nuclear, nukes, protest, safety, Ukraine
EBRD
Energy & climate
Guest post: Never again Sostanj
March 20, 2013
 | by Barbara Kvac

Disappointed by loan disbursements to one of the dirtiest coal projects in Europe, almost 100 organisations have called on two public lenders to not repeat the same mistakes, ever.

climate, coal, corruption, EBRD, EIB, energypolicy, fossil fuels, lignite, protest, TES6
EBRD, EIB
Energy & climate
[Campaign update] Woes in Kosovo's energy sector trigger demand for Minister's removal
March 18, 2013
 | by Sven Haertig-Tokarz

Amid increasing public outcry over electricity prices and the privatisation of the KEDS distribution company, KOSID, an industrious NGO coalition from Kosovo has called for the dismissal of Besim Beqaj, the country's Minster for Economic Development.

coal, EBRD, energy, energypolicy, KOSID, Kosovo, Kosovo Re, lignite, update
EBRD, World Bank Group
Energy & climate

Tag cloud

more tags

Blog posts by institution

EBRD
EIB
EU Funds

Blog posts by region

Connect with us online

Facebook   Twitter   YouTube   RSS feed