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Energy lending in south-eastern Europe

South-eastern Europe is riddled with poor planning and corruption in the energy sector and its governments are proving slow to react to the challenges and opportunities offered by the decarbonisation agenda.


Above: planned coal power plants in south-eastern Europe

This should be an opportunity for international lenders like the EBRD, the EIB and the World Bank to promote energy efficiency and sustainable renewables to shift the region's energy sectors towards lower carbon emissions.

So far, however, it is only happening in a few positive exceptions as our study and the projects that we monitor show.

Infographic
The damaging Projects of Energy Community Interest (click to see full size)

Note: This infographic is out of date. It contains projects that were not accepted as priority projects. For comparison, see the final list of approved PECIs.

The European Energy Community

The European Energy Community was established between the EU and a number of third countries in order to extend the EU internal energy market to south-eastern Europe and beyond. (Members include the EU, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Moldova, Kosovo, plus Ukraine.)

The Community's priority projects, however, are set to include several environmentally damaging coal and hydropower projects that will be fast-tracked for financing over the next years.

Read more:
Dirty power plants in Europe's Neighbourhood set to become EU priority
Press release | October 22, 2013

Western Balkans and Ukraine: EC-backed Energy Community to prioritise coal plants that threaten EU long-term climate targets (pdf)
Briefing | October 22, 2013

 

 

Related news

Balkan electricity export aspirations - collection of media reports
Bankwatch in the media | March 20, 2015

A growing apetite for new power plants, mainly coal-fired, in the western Balkans could end up with many of them becoming `white elephants, a study released by CEE Bankwatch Network on March 19 warns. Media across the region reported on the findings:

Energy & climate
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Electricity export ambitions may prove risky for Western Balkans, shows new study
Press release | March 19, 2015

The Western Balkans countries have strong electricity export ambitions that create the danger of stranded assets, finds a new report launched by CEE Bankwatch Network today. If governments take electricity expansion decisions without taking due account of developments in other countries, the region will have to compete with other nearby exporters and may find that its power plants become uneconomic.

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Social & economic impacts
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By the numbers: where will energy come from in the western Balkans?
Blog entry | March 19, 2015

Today we've published a new report analysing future energy trends in countries of the western Balkans.

From a robust dataset we researched together with the University of Groningen and the consultancy 'The Advisory House', we've pulled out a couple of illustrations.

Energy & climate
Social & economic impacts
Balkans, Balkans, coal, data, energy, energy exports, EU neighbourhood, infographic, stranded assets, study
By the numbers: where will energy come from in the western Balkans?
Blog entry | March 19, 2015

Today we've published a new report analysing future energy trends in countries of the western Balkans.

From a robust dataset we researched together with the University of Groningen and the consultancy 'The Advisory House', we've pulled out a couple of illustrations.

Energy & climate
Social & economic impacts
Balkans, Balkans, coal, data, energy, energy exports, EU neighbourhood, infographic, stranded assets, study
Victories piling up: 130 more hectares of forest saved from lignite mining in Romania
Press release | March 12, 2015

Bucharest - A Romanian court has accepted a petition filed by Bankwatch Romania and Greenpeace Romania, and cancelled the environmental permit which allowed cutting down 130 hectares of forests - equivalent to approximately 260 football pitches - to make way for the expansion of the Pinoasa lignite open pit.

Energy & climate
Other harmful projects
Balkans, coal, deforestation, EU, lignite, mining, Romania, success, Timiseni

China in the Western Balkans

China has risen to become a major player in the dam building business and is appearing ever more frequently in central and eastern Europe.

Read more:
Doing more than just spotting the elephant: a new resource for campaigning on China, dams and finance
Blog post | November 27, 2012

 

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