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Note: This infographic is out of date.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

Press release | June 2, 2014

Belgrade -- NGO CEKOR submitted a formal complaint in front of the Serbian national administrative court against the government’s decision to approve an Environmental Impact Assessment study for the construction of a new unit at the Kostolac B coal power plant. The complaint, in which the NGO exposes failings in the EIA process, is the first of its kind to reach Serbian courts.

Energy & climate

Tags: Balkans, coal, EU neighbourhood

When water mixes with coal - The impacts of the floods in Serbia on people living next to lignite mines

Blog entry | May 30, 2014

People living next to the Kolubara lignite mine in Serbia have suffered more under the floods due to the vicinity of the mine. Their demands for resettlement and compensation have now become more urgent than ever.

EBRD

Energy & climate

Social & economic impacts

Tags: Balkans, EU neighbourhood, floods, Kolubara, lignite, local communities, mining, photos, pollution, resettlement, Serbia

Balkan lynx stage protest at annual meeting of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Blog entry | May 15, 2014

A delegation of 20 lynx from Mavrovo National Park in Macedonia today occupied a corridor in the Polish National Stadium in Warsaw, where the EBRD Annual General Meetings are taking place 14-15 May.

Their message: "EBRD, don't finance the Boskov Most dam, as it will destroy the forest in which we live and eventually kill us." The 20 delegates from Mavrovo Park constitute almost half of the little over 50 lynxes which still survive in the park today (the Balkan lynx is an endangered species).

EBRD

Other harmful projects

Tags: Balkan lynx, Balkans, Boskov Most, EBRD annual meeting, EU neighbourhood, hydropower, Mavrovo national park, protest

Planned contract for Plomin C coal plant most likely illegal state aid, says legal analysis

Press release | May 5, 2014

Zagreb, 05.05.2014 - A planned long-term power purchase agreement in which Croatian electricity company HEP will commit to buying at least 50% of electricity from the planned Plomin C power plant for 20-30 years will most likely be illegal under EU state aid rules, according to a new legal analysis by Hungary's Environmental Management and Law Association (EMLA).

EBRD

Energy & climate

Social & economic impacts

Tags: Balkans, coal, economics, EU, Plomin

New online toolkit to help tackle the Kings of Coal in southeast Europe and Turkey

Blog entry | May 5, 2014

Coal investments are a dying breed in many countries, but some investors are still ready to try their luck in southeast Europe and Turkey. For campaigners who want to communicate with these actors Bankwatch has developed the user-friendly online toolkit Kings of Coal in three languages.

EBRD

EIB

World Bank Group

Energy & climate