Counter Balance

Europe’s public finance is off track: The @EIB props up “competitiveness,” the wealthy military complex & polluters’ “clean energy” projects—missing a green, just economy. But what if we flipped the script? We ask @yanisvaroufakis 👉 bit.ly/41HAOod

Unless the EIF clearly demonstrates it regularly monitors the investment funds and companies it backs — and intervenes in case of breaches — history can easily repeat itself, just with a European company next time. 🇪🇺⚠️ Read more👇 apache.be/2026/05/08/eur…

After channelling taxpayer money into Paragon spyware, the EIF announced yesterday at the European Parliament it will stop funding non-EU spyware companies. But the new policy does not resolve the main problem — EU-based spyware companies remain eligible for funding. ⚠️💻🔎

In April, the European Parliament voted on its annual report on the control of the financial activities of the @EIB Group for 2024. 🏦🇪🇺 Check out Counter Balance’s latest blog about it, highlighting its key contractions 👇 counter-balance.org/news/blog/a-eu…

🛑 This episode unpacks how public money is being used to boost the profitability of major military companies — while deregulation weakens safeguards for the arms industry — accelerating the global arms race in the process. 🌍💥 🎧 Tune in now: open.spotify.com/episode/7jb8YA…

🎙️ In today’s EU Watchdog Radio episode, Marilisa Marigliano from Counter Balance, speaks with Laëtitia Sédou, EU Project Manager at the European Network Against Arms Trade, about how public finance is being mobilised to serve militarisation.

🏛️How should Europe invest? From strategic prioritisation to delivery of the #ECF Today in the 🇪🇺 Parliament, MEPs, investors & experts joined a roundtable to discuss how the #MFF can better deliver competitiveness & the clean transition 📑Also, two new briefings were launched!

🙋‍♂️ Experts from @I4CE_, @Counter_Balance, @EUREC_Info, @DelorsInstitute and @IDDRI_ThinkTank shared insights on improving the improving governance, targeting and delivery of the ECF.

🔴 ReCommon condemns ENI’s decision to file yet another frivolous lawsuit against the association in an attempt to silence its representatives. 📩 Last March, ENI’s lawyers served ReCommon with a request to initiate mandatory civil mediation for alleged defamation aggravated by the use of tv and social media, arising from statements made by Recommon's Eva Pastorelli during the program @reportrai3, which aired on Rai 3 on December 14, 2025. 💰 According to ENI, the value of the dispute it intends to initiate is € 800,000. 👇 recommon.org/en/new-slapp-l…

📅 15 April 2026 🕐 19:00 - 20:15 📍 Buen Vivir 🎤 Adam McGibbon (Oil Change International) & Lora Verheecke (Counter Balance) 🎉 Join us in the celebration 👇 eventbrite.com/e/billions-shi…

Have you registered yet? ❓ Tomorrow at Buen Vivir: celebrate TWO big wins 🎉 🚫 No more public money for fossil fuels 🚫 No funding for a deadly gas project in Mozambique Let’s learn the tactics behind this successful campaign and explore how these lessons can be applied to other campaigns.

🎤 Frank Vanaerschot, director of Counter Balance and co-founder of the platform “Belfius est à nous” will make the connection between how the Belgian government is using the Bank and Counter Balance’s work on the role of public investment in the EU. Join us!

Today, Librex, Rethinking Economics ULB, and Revue politique are hosting the conference 'Belfius: Who benefits from privatisation?' 🎤🏦 The aim is to examine the government’s plan to privatise the Belgian state-owned bank, Belfius 🇧🇪 📅 9 April 🕖 7:00 PM 📍 Paul Hatry Lecture Theatre (R42.4.402)

(3/3) And more, EIB loans to arms companies have to be repaid with interest. 💸 That only works if the investment is profitable. Arms investments are only profitable if weapons get sold, used, and renewed. 💥🧨‼️ Public climate finance now has a financial stake in the arms trade continuing. Read more👇 counter-balance.org/news/from-sust…

(2/3) 🇪🇺🏦 The EU's "climate bank" gave €500M to Safran, one of the world's top arms manufacturers, and counted it as climate action. The logic: if a weapons system runs on cleaner fuel, it's a green investment, even though the military is among the world's largest polluters. 🪖💣

(1/3)💸💣 Defence spending is having its moment. In the EU, military budgets are growing fast and with little public debate about where the money comes from or what it funds. The @EIB Group is playing its part. 🧵👇

How did this happen and what can we learn from it? 💡 Join Lora Verheecke (Counter Balance) and Adam McGibbon (Oil Change International) for a behind-the-scenes look at the campaign. 📅 15 April 2026 🕐 19:00 - 20:15 CET 📍 Buen Vivir 🎉 Join us in the celebration 👇 bit.ly/4sFaC8G

Billions are being shifted away from fossil fuels, and that’s worth celebrating 🎉 ✅ The UK ended public finance for fossil fuel projects abroad. ✅ Millions were stopped from funding a harmful LNG project in Mozambique 🎉 Join us in the celebration: bit.ly/4sFaC8G

⚡🛡️⛏️ In the EIB Forum, discussions were not centered around housing, energy bills, unemployment, or low wages. Guess what they talked about? Did they just talk? 🔗 Read the full blog 👇 counter-balance.org/news/the-signi…

🇪🇺🏦 A new blog on the @EIB Forum 2026 is out! For three days, bankers, ministers and CEOs from big companies discussed Europe’s investment future. But behind the panels, speeches and networking, something else was happening: contracts were being signed.

🌍⚖️ The EIB claims to be the Climate Bank. But financing fossil-linked infrastructure and companies while ignoring international legal obligations tells a different story. We joined 14 CSOs in demanding the EIB act NOW: stop funding the fossil economy and apply best available science to all climate due diligence. Read our letter 👇 counter-balance.org/publications/j…