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Oil for nothing: EU energy security endangers livelihoods in Nigeria A documentary exposes the practices and disastrous local impacts of oil extraction by European energy companies in Nigeria. Food for thought for us and our political leaders.
New map of harmful EU funds projects No money to waste, no time to lose. Our new map illustrates how the EU's resources should and should not be spent to benefit society, economy and the environment.
Earth's riches, people's troubles. Mining in Central Asia A short glance at new materials on the local impacts of mining operations in Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.
Video: Mongolia's mining boom and the people development left behind People have traditionally relied on the land that is now a mine for their survival.
Rushing into gold can leave people behind, EBRD Mining projects in Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia reveal a need to carefully revise the EBRD’s involvement in the exploitation of natural resources.

CEE Bankwatch Network works across the central and eastern European region to monitor the activities of international financial institutions and propose constructive environmental and social alternatives to the policies and projects they support.

Who we monitor

EBRD

EIB

EU funds

Promoting market economies, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's notion of transition is often blind to its impacts on people and the planet.

The world's biggest public lender, the European Investment Bank notoriously neglects environmental and social aspects and acts far away from public control.

Incoherent funding priorities and inadequate national implementation often inhibit real social, economical and environmental sustainability.

Spirited away – Mongolia's mining boom and the people that development left behind /publications/spirited-away-mongolias-mining-boom-and-people-development-left-behind January 30, 2012 Study The report, based on a fact finding mission to the Tavan Tolgoi and Oyu Tolgoi mines in Mongolia, examines the social and environmental impacts of mining in Mongolia. It offers a more in-depth look at the impacts on herders who have been displaced by the mining operations, the local effects of the construction of infrastructure and the mining operations themselves.
Carbon Rising: European Investment Bank energy lending 2007-2010 /publications/carbon-rising-european-investment-bank-energy-lending-2007-2010 December 8, 2011 Study The study analyses energy lending by the EIB, the world's largest public bank, since the institution launched its energy policy in 2007. While lending to renewables has increased in the period 2007-2010, support for fossil fuels has also risen, almost doubling from 2.8 billion euros in 2007 to 5 billion in 2010.
Let's talk about IPA - the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance. A toolkit for civil society organisations /publications/lets-talk-about-ipa December 7, 2011 Study This toolkit (available in different languages) was prepared by Bankwatch partner and member groups to help civil society organisations from the Western Balkan region better understand the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) and to learn about EU experiences in programming of the EU funds.
Home is where the heat is: thermal insulation programs for buildings in the Czech Republic and its positive effect on job creation /publications/home-is-where-heat-is November 18, 2011 Study The study shows how targeted public financial support for energy efficiency, mainly thermal insulation of buildings, helped create jobs and increase economic activity across the Czech Republic.
Funding Europe's Future: How Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 can deliver for Europe's people and environment /publications/funding-europes-future-how-cohesion-policy-2014-2020-can-deliver-europes-people-and-env October 24, 2011 Study The European Commission's Cohesion Policy regulations fail to earmark sufficient money for green spending in areas such as energy efficiency of buildings, sustainable transport, nature protection or waste management. Next year, the European Council and European Parliament can amend the regulation texts for the better. Our detailed recommendations for EU regional funds 2014-2020 can help them in their task by outlining...
EU funds briefing: Transport cohesion on the right track? /publications/eu-funds-briefing-transport-cohesion-right-track September 5, 2011 Briefing This paper describes experiences with the EU funded Transport Operational Programmes (further referred to as OPTs) in four central and eastern European countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Poland. Individual country reports have been produced after 4 and a half years of the respective OPTs" implementation in the current EU budgetary period 2007-2013, and they identify the main facts, weak points and...
Gender and international financial institutions. A guide for civil society. /publications/gender-and-international-financial-institutions-guide-civil-society August 10, 2011 Study The toolkit is based on experiences of different Bankwatch campaigners who have witnessed all kinds of problems caused by internationally sponsored projects. The toolkit is meant to support NGOs from the early steps of their engagement with IFI-sponsored projects. It gives hints about how to identify potential gender related problems and shows ways to prepare for the prevention or mitigation of such problems.
Are we nearly there yet? Dilemmas of transition after 20 years of EBRD's operations /publications/are-we-nearly-there-yet-dilemmas-transition-after-20-years-ebrds-operations May 20, 2011 Study As the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development celebrates twenty years of market and democracy promotion in central and eastern Europe, Bankwatch evaluates the institution's activities since its inception and concludes the bank needs to move swiftly and genuinely towards prioritizing social justice and lowering carbon intensity of economies, if it wants to bring real benefits to the region.
Bankwatch Mail 48 /publications/bankwatch-mail-48 May 19, 2011 Bankwatch Mail On the occasion of the EBRD's 20th anniversary, Bankwatch Mail is complemented by a range of personal reflections from people both within and beyond central and eastern Europe, people who have worked directly on issues related to the EBRD, or who have studied the bank's impacts.
If fences make good neighbours, what about nuclear energy? How Ukraine’s nuclear future ties into Europe’s energy security strategy /publications/if-fences-make-good-neighbours-what-about-nuclear-energy April 26, 2011 Leaflet In 2010 Ukraine joined the European Energy Community to integrate into the European electricity and gas markets. The Ukrainian government is looking to the EU and international financial institutions to sponsor a warily nuclear-intensive, export-oriented energy program.
Ignoring Chernobyl's lessons - How EU 'Energy Security' expands nuclear energy in Ukraine /publications/ignoring-chernobyls-lessons-how-eu-energy-security-expands-nuclear-energy-ukraine April 26, 2011 Study As the world marks the 25th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster at Chernobyl and against the backdrop of the threat from Fukushima's nuclear facilities, our study reveals that the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are indirectly supporting lifetime extensions of old Ukrainian nuclear reactors as a means to secure 'cheap'...
Missing in action - The winners, the losers and the unknowns of the European Investment Bank's anti-crisis SME offensive in central and eastern Europe /publications/missing-action-winners-losers-and-unknowns-european-investment-banks-anti-crisis-sme-of December 8, 2010 Study In 2008, the EIB's deployed an additional EUR 15 billion to its 'global loan' lending - as a response to the financial crisis and the difficulty for small and media sized enterprises to access finance. In essence, the package appears to have remained to a large extent in the intermediary banks, the initial recipients of the funding.
Changing Perspectives How the EU Budget can Shape a Sustainable Future /publications/changing-perspectives-how-eu-budget-can-shape-sustainable-future November 18, 2010 Study The report presents a new proposal by seven green NGOs including Bankwatch on how to reform the EU funds, analyses different EU policies and suggests concrete solutions to put an end to environmentally harmful subsidies within the EU Budget. Our key challenges in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and resource inefficiency need to be prioritised ahead of funding for unnecessary infrastructure projects and the...
Nabucco and Turkmenistan - Our energy security, Turkmens' misery /publications/nabucco-and-turkmenistan-our-energy-security-turkmens-misery September 10, 2010 Study This paper examines the less obvious aspects of the Nabucco gas pipeline project - its possible impact on Turkmenistan, a country notorious for its grave human rights situation and the dictatorial tendencies of its political leaders. It also discusses how, with a lack of public oversight over gas revenues in Turkmenistan, the construction of Nabucco may lead to the strengthening of one of the most brutal regimes...
Can the international financial institutions do more to support new renewables and energy efficiency in south-east Europe? /publications/can-international-financial-institutions-do-more-support-new-renewables-and-energy-effi July 1, 2010 Study As Europe is greening its economy and gearing up to decarbonise by 2050, most south-east European (SEE) countries still view energy efficiency and renewable energy as greens on the side of their main dish. Coal power and large hydropower are still the favourites on the menu, as they depend on indigenous resources and keep energy import dependency lower.
Over the edge. Enel's plans to export its pollution to Porto Romano, Albania /publications/over-edge-enels-plans-export-its-pollution-porto-romano-albania April 27, 2010 Study The Italian energy giant Enel is planning to construct a coal-fired thermal power plant consisting of two 800 MW units at Porto Romano near the city of Durres in Albania. If constructed this would be the largest investment in the history of the Albanian energy industry. Eighty five percent of the electricity produced would be exported to Italy.
Potential unfulfilled - EU funding and Cohesion policy can do more for sustainable climate and energy development in central and eastern Europe /publications/potential-unfulfilled-eu-funding-and-cohesion-policy-can-do-more-sustainable-climate-an March 3, 2010 Study This new analysis from CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe points to some alarming shortcomings in how billions of EU funds earmarked for clean energy projects in the new member states are being deployed.
Change the lending, not the climate /publications/change-lending-not-climate December 2, 2009 Study As this rigorous analysis of the European Investment Bank's energy portfolio from 2002 until the end of 2008 reveals, the EIB continues to heavily support fossil fuels while its lending for renewable energy maintains a promising, if only rather steady, share - in spite of the clear evidence of the climate change challenge, and despite the challenge the EU's targets pose for its member states, especially the new member...
Between a rock and a hard place. How local communities pay the cost of EBRD-financed gold mining projects. /publications/between-rock-and-hard-place-how-local-communities-pay-cost-ebrd-financed-gold-mining-pr November 27, 2009 Study As the EBRD prepares to develop a new sectoral policy on mining [Update Jan 2012: the update has been postponed for the last two years], this collection of case studies looks at the impacts on communities of the gold mining projects the bank has financed thus far.
ArcelorMittal: Going nowhere slowly. A review of the global steel giant's environmental and social impacts in 2008-2009. /publications/arcelormittal-going-nowhere-slowly-review-global-steel-giants-environmental-and-social- May 12, 2009 Study This new report reviews the company's environmental and social impacts during the years 2008-2009 since the coalition Global Action on ArcelorMittal published its first report on the company in May 2008. The new report includes case studies from Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, India, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Romania and South Africa.

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