Publications

As the Polish Presidency ended at the turn of the year and the last formal meetings were over, the Polish government decided it was time to speak out more openly about its own position concerning the future of Cohesion Policy, as it was no longer obliged to remain neutral in the negotiations. This EU budget item had been the priority for the Presidency, as Poland is hoping to receive as much as EUR 80 billion in the forthcoming 2014-2020 period.

The European Commission is considering financial support for three new major municipal waste incinerator projects in the Czech Republic. The total cost for these projects is EUR 520 million and the projects have also requested a subsidy from the current Operational Programme for Environment (OPE) totalling EUR 184 million.

Poland is on course to place further large roadblocks in the way of the European Commission's Roadmap 2050 towards a low-carbon economy unless certain demands being insisted on by Warsaw are met. These include the granting of free allowances for all 16 power plants that Poland has asked to be supported under the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme.

The Vreoci community from the Kolubara mining basin requests from the EBRD to suspend the loan arrangements for the Kolubara lignite mine due to the constant and increasing violations of human and property rights by the Public Company Mining Basin "Kolubara" - Lazarevac.

Under its new Country partnership strategy (CPS) for Uzbekistan to commence this year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will be guided by the evolving development needs of Uzbekistan, as well as the long-term ADB strategic framework for 2008-2020.

This expert review of Ukraine's Nuclear Power Plant Safety Upgrade Program, that's to be financed by Euratom and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development shows that some of the measures included in the SUP are necessary for the lifetime expansion of the plants and not for their regular functioning until the initially planned term.

The new greenfield gas cogeneration power plant COGEN in north Slovakia is planned to produce power and heat. Located in Považský Chlmec, a town in the Žilina district, the new plant would further deteriorate the quality of life of locals, who have for decades been suffering from the negative impacts of a nearby waste disposal site and nearby highway.