After environmental destruction in Armenia, the fight for transparency continues - in Denmark, 27 July 2020

After a Danish-funded mine caused serious environmental damage in Armenia, the Danish state has been less than forthcoming on failed due diligence, transparency and compensation...

As a result of the Danish-funded mine construction, the Teghut mine caused the pollution of local rivers, with damage so severe that local farmers and fruit growers lost their livelihoods. A dam containing liquid waste from the mine still threatens to collapse and bury a nearby village, and a large area of pristine forest in the scenic and mountainous region – home to a range of endangered species – was cut down. In 2019, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that land owned by local villagers had been expropriated in violation of their human rights, and ordered the Armenian state to pay compensation...

Now, some seven years after the original loan was approved, Denmark’s business ministry has quietly introduced an extensive duty of confidentiality for EKF [Denmark’s Export Credit Agency] employees as part of amending the law governing the export agency. Workers at EKF, which helps Danish businesses secure financing for projects around the world, can now be severely punished - including up to two years in prison - if they break this confidentiality... The amendments are supposed to overrule Denmark’s environmental information legislation, in order to benefit EKF’s business activities...

“It is clear the amendment is intended to limit access to documents under the Environmental Information Act,” said Oluf Jørgensen, an expert in freedom of information and head of research emeritus at The Danish School of Media and Journalism.