Counter Balance

This blogpost builds on a chapter of our recent report “The ‘EU Climate Bank’ – Greenwashing or a banking revolution?” which uncovers some of the key areas where there are genuine risks that the European Investment Bank (EIB) will support “greenwashing practices”. Among these is the myth of green aviation, a myth that risks enabling […]

By Anna Roggenbuck and Clara Bourgin As it seeks to morph into the EU’s climate bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB) continues to downplay the climate footprint of many of the projects it finances, including that of Europe’s largest fossil fuels project, the Southern Gas Corridor. In November 2019, the EIB made important progress by […]

This blogpost builds on our recent report “The ‘EU Climate Bank’ – Greenwashing or a banking revolution?” to expose the loopholes of the new energy policy and the many gas projects that continue to be approved by the European Investment Bank (EIB). As last week’s blogpost has similarly shown, the risk that the EIB will […]

This blogpost builds on a chapter of our recent report “The ‘EU Climate Bank’ – Greenwashing or a banking revolution?” which uncovers some of the key areas where there are genuine risks that the European Investment Bank (EIB) will support “greenwashing practices”. Among these are the false promises of “green” or “renewable” gas, a trap […]

Translated from an original blogpost in Italian by Elena Gerebizza and Filippo Taglieri from Re:Common introducing their new report: “The great illusion. Special economic zones and infrastructure mega-corridors, the way to go?”  In the last few months our lives have changed dramatically. Many of us lost their jobs while many others continued working under extreme […]

In the context of the Covid-19 crisis, this question holds a significant importance, as there are vivid discussions taking place around the public provision of essential public services and risks linked to privatisations. And looking back into how EU public finance has performed in the recent past is an important exercise for mistakes not to be repeated in future economic recovery plans at European level […]

Azerbaijan’s Laundromat scandal raises concerns over the EU’s growing business ties with the authoritarian regime Brussels, 6 September 2017 – Statement by CEE Bankwatch Network, Counter Balance and Friends of the Earth Europe Adding up to the list of shady practices of Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime the Azerbaijani Laundromat corruption scheme raises serious concerns over the […]

Brussels, 2 March 2017 The European Investment Bank (EIB) is being investigated for maladministration, after the European Ombudsman sent a formal letter opening the case this week (27 February 2017). The investigation comes after ClientEarth, CEE Bankwatch Network and Counter Balance highlighted the lack of transparency at the bank, and its attempts to block scrutiny. […]

By Anna Roggenbuck, originally published by Bankwatch Ministers, ambassadors and envoys from at least 15 countries, including Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commission’s Vice President for the Energy Union, are gathered today in the Azerbaijani capital to discuss the progress on the Southern Gas Corridor, the largest energy project the EU is currently pursuing. But over […]

Counter Balance supports the European Fossil Fuel Subsidies Awards, launched by CAN Europe. Most governments don’t like to talk about the fact that they are giving money to fossil fuels, and in some cases they do what they can to hide them. It is simply unfair to European citizens to keep these subsidies in the […]