About the map
Harnessing the EU’s billions for sustainable development?
The European Union is injecting billions of euros for the development of the new member states of central and eastern Europe (CEE) via the structural and cohesion funds as well as the European Investment Bank (EIB). This financial aid, aimed at resolving regional disparities and delivering sustainable development to these countries, accounts for the vast bulk of public investment flows into the CEE region – and in the context of the current global economic crisis will constitute one of the few sources of potentially positive investment in a region that is being hit hard.
Significantly affected by the current economic crisis due to their increased dependence on global markets and high debt rates, CEE countries look likely to suffer rising unemployment and the withdrawal of foreign investments. Reacting to the crisis, the European Commission has put forward a proposal to accelerate the implementation of major infrastructure projects and also to enhance “smart” investments for a low carbon future. A vital underlying question, however, remains – are the new members states now prepared to use European taxpayers' money more wisely?
Our aim: sound use of EU money
This map displays 55 environmentally harmful and often also economically dubious projects, such as motorways and waste incinerators, that are being financed – or are planned to be financed – by the EU funds and the EIB. The total estimated cost of the 55 projects is over €23bn. Of this, at least €12bn stands to be paid via the EU funds, and in addition there will be billions of euros in the form of loans from the EIB.
With this updated map, CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe are aiming to ensure that EU funds do not cause damage but instead bring real long-term benefits to people living in the CEE countries. It is crucial that in a time of crisis – economic and climate – EU funding has a significant leverage impact on job creation and recovery, while protecting nature and preventing climate change. The vast majority of the projects featuring on the map have yet to receive funding, which means that most of the environmental harm and money wastage can still be prevented.
Mapping controversial developments
In 2008, we published a map of projects entitled “Cohesion or Collision?” that presented the controversies surrounding planned, potential and implemented investment projects seeking funding from EU sources. It starkly illustrated that many of the development projects being proposed in CEE are economically irresponsible, may lead to severe environmental damage and could have adverse impacts on overall quality of life across the CEE region.
Now in 2009, we present an update of the map to demonstrate that controversial projects – in line for funding from the EU funds and the EIB – are not going away.
When it comes to waste incinerators, the number of proposed projects has increased from 18 to 22, blocking a majority of the available funding sources for more cost-effective waste solutions such as separate collection, recycling and composting.
For transport projects, in the case of the Via Baltica expressway – one of the most controversial projects in the 2008 map – the Polish government decided at the end of March to modify the route of one critical section – the Augustow bypass – in order to avoid cutting through the Rospuda Valley, a renowned Natura 2000 site. Although many serious questions regarding the Via Baltica corridor still remain, the final acceptance of an alternative variant for the Augustow bypass should serve as a compelling example of how to reconcile transport development with nature protection. All the same, the bigger question of explicit road bias in the transport planning of CEE countries still remains.
Given the emphatic new role for EU financing as part of the European Economic Recovery Plan, CEE countries cannot afford to make reckless investment choices and the European Commission should ensure more transparency and stringent compliance with EU environmental law. For road projects, as the Rospuda case in Poland makes abundantly clear, timely observation of EU law can save inconvenience for affected communities, not to mention hard-pressed public budgets.
Sources of information
The updated map is the result of an extensive investigation carried out by the national member organisations of CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe in cooperation with other non-governmental organisations. The map covers the 10 new EU member states of CEE and the two candidate counties, Croatia and Macedonia.
The information provided about individual projects is based on official documents such as operational programmes and environmental impact reports, communication with local citizen groups as well as independent expert studies. The map shows only a selection of the most significant and currently known projects. The number of projects displayed in each country reflects not only the quantity of problematic projects but also the capacity of non-governmental organisations to identify and research them. That is why, for example, there are only a small number of projects displayed in Romania.