[romania_eu_list] Welcome to the Stability Pact Watch Bulletin, issue 9, December 2005

[TERRA Mileniul III]

Welcome to the Stability Pact Watch Bulletin, issue 9, December 2005   In this issue:   No EU money for notorious Bulgarian waste project Sofia, Bulgaria - Bulgarian environmentalists are delighted that a controversial hazardous waste incinerator in the Stara Zagora region of Bulgaria has been turned down for multi-million euro funding from the EU due to the project's inade-quate environmental impact assessment (EIA) report. European Commission officials have confirmed the EIA's various deficiencies, especially its lack of coverage of the project's impact on human health and the environment.   Ludicrous traffic solutions for Bucharest The Basarab overpass project is intended to close an inner traffic ring. People living near the Basarab overpass, who will be directly affected by it, find themselves in a desperate situation. If the project is to be realised, the residents in this area will have to put up with a construction site for at least three years. Then subsequent heavy overpass traffic will passing 13-15 metres from their windows causing an increase in pollutant emissions, and the level of noise and vibrations. The problem is that traffic will only improve on the overpass itself: after it, cars will reach narrow streets and congested intersections. What has the city administration done in the last few years to solve the capital's traffic problems? Hardly anything: there is one parking building in the city centre.   Krumovgrad gold rush gets the brush off from locals On the day when the gold price reached USD 500 an ounce in London, the Bulgarian town of Krumovgrad chose nature protection over gold extraction. The Canadian mining firm Dundee Precious Metals, which has received USD 10 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for its gold and copper operations at the Chelopech mine near Sofia, has offered "an investment" that was once again rejected by the local authorities. The Krumovgrad gold project for starting precious metals extraction in the East Rhodopi region has been rejected a "social license" while an official expert decision from the Bulgarian government has been pending for four months now.   Sustainable transport in Macedonia fact or fiction? It is clear that Macedonia is in need of investment into local rail lines, lines that would bring benefits to the local people and local economies, rather than investments into large projects that will benefit foreign transport operators. By supporting the rehabilitation of rail Corridor X, the European Commission is contributing to turning the Macedonian rail network into a single line, and is therefore significantly hindering the development of sustainable passenger transport in the country. If the Commission and the IFIs would like to see Macedonia's rail system developing and functioning well, they should consider supporting small-scale local projects and thus create a consistent, joined-up railway network in Macedonia.   Lidl - the invisible threat The German supermarket chain Lidl, infamous for its poor labour standards, has not yet opened any of its planned 15 stores in Croatia, but the Commercial Trade Union of Croatia (STH) is already sending the company a clear message with its "Lidl, we are watching you" campaign. The supermarket's expansion into Croatia is being financed by a USD 48.6 million loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank.   News from the region -          More World Bank money for Romania -          EIB loves funding Romanian motorways -          Energy efficiency in Bulgarian blocks of flats -          Balkan oil pipeline back on the table -          Rotten deals at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant -          EBRD cashes stake in Bulgaria's First Investment Bank -          US company AES kicks off EUR 1.1 billion power plant project in Bulgaria   What’s new on Belene -          Bulgaria invites US to build Belene nuclear power plant -          Belene delayed by greens -          Bid deadline for construction of nuclear plant extended   Best regards, The Stability Pact Watch team www.stabilitypactwatch.info   Download the bulletin: http://www.bankwatch.org/project.shtml?apc=--153965a--1&x=1081012&d=a   *** sustineti [romania_eu_list] prin 1% din impozitul pe 2005 - detalii la http://www.europe.org.ro/euroatlantic_club/unulasuta.php *** SPONSORED LINKS Dvd region free All regions dvd player Conservative politics Organizational politics American government and politics YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS  Visit your group "romania_eu_list" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.