In the run-up to a summit between EU and Western Balkan leaders in Tirana on December 6th, we have sent a joint letter to the Ambassadors of the EU Permanent Representations to the EU, calling on the EU Council shift from the EU Commission’s focus on fossil gas. Our concern is that EU funds might… Continue reading No New Gas and Immediate Transition to Renewables is Needed in Western Balkans, call CSOs
Tag: Western Balkans
Table China: China’s international coal-exit has a transparency problem
“China has announced its intention to phase out financing of overseas coal-fired power. But the details remain unclear. For example, will China also stop projects that have already been started? Wawa Wang and Dr. Vanessa Buth from the non-governmental organization Just Finance International, which campaigns for more transparency in public procurement, reviewed China’s numerous coal projects in the Western Balkans. They urge the EU and Germany to call on China to disclose its overseas coal policies.”
China’s 2021 “international coal-exit’’ pledge: a transparency problem
Download briefing as pdf here March 2022 China’s pledge to stop building new coal-fired power plants abroad, announced during the UN General Assembly in September 2021 – and reiterated during a EU-China dialogue on climate in October 2021 – was met with enthusiasm. Yet, half a year later, little is known about the extent of… Continue reading China’s 2021 “international coal-exit’’ pledge: a transparency problem
CNN: China Stops Coal Investment But Funds Oil and Gas Projects
Wawa Wang, director of Just Finance International, said Chinese funding continues to exacerbate the climate crisis in the Western Balkans, a region where Chinese loans can expand new coal projects.
China Dialogue: China’s overseas coal pledge yields mixed results in Serbia and Bosnia
The Balkan nations are among the first to feel effects of President Xi’s announcement of an end to support for coal projects, as struggles over energy transition persist.
Frankfurter Allgemeine: Is China stopping investments in European coal-fired power plants?
“China will keine neuen Kohlekraftwerke im Ausland bauen. Opfer könnten nun Projekte auf dem Balkan werden. Umweltschützer sind erfreut, bleiben aber skeptisch.”
Balkan Insight: China in the Balkans – Controversy and Cost
Wawa Wang, a program director of Just Finance International, which researched the international track record of Chinese companies – including SOEs – operating in Serbia, said that Chinese companies were doing untold harm.
Radio Slobodna Evropa: New Power Plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina jeopardise international obligations
A Polish-Chinese investor is planning another thermal power plant in Ugljevik, contrary to the suggestions made by the Energy Community to Bosnian. Read the article in full (in Bosnian): Radio Slobodna Evropa
Radio Slobodna Evropa: Interview with Just Finance on Chinese Defense Companies
An increasing number of Chinese defence companies are active in the civilian market in the Western Balkan countries. More of the full interview with Nils Resare, Senior Researcher at Just Finance International. Read the article in full (in Serbian): Radio Slobodna Evropa
The Diplomat: “China Is Changing Serbia From the Inside”
The gradual weakening of legal requirements for Chinese investments in Serbia is of real concern according to Wawa Wang and Nils Resare at Just Finance. Read the article in the Diplomat. Read the article in full: The Diplomat