COMMENT: Amid shrinking civic space, will the EBRD still uphold its democratic mandate?
June 6, 2025
As the EBRD expands its operations into new regions, including sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq, will it stay true to its founding mission, and place democracy and civic participation at the heart of its approach?
The role of stakeholder engagement in the EBRD’s impact monitoring and reporting
May 30, 2025
This report examines the EBRD’s policies and practices related to stakeholder engagement and its monitoring and reporting at the project, country, and institutional levels. It identifies gaps in transparency at the project level, consultations on country strategies, and institutional reporting.
The EBRD’s climate contradiction: Syrdarya fossil-gas plant locks Uzbekistan into Russian energy dependence
May 29, 2025
The USD 200 million investment in the 1,500-megawatt combined-cycle gas turbine power plant in the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan exposes significant contradictions between the EBRD’s stated commitments and its actual financing decisions.
Strengthening Ukraine’s wind projects: Insights from the Galnaftogaz experience
May 27, 2025
Despite critical procedural and technical issues, the Galnaftogaz wind project in Ukraine, backed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is underway.
District heating projects financed by the EBRD in Ukraine
May 14, 2025
This briefing examines EBRD-financed district heating projects in Western Ukraine, particularly in Ternopil and Lutsk.
Beyond mainstreaming: Advancing gender impact in the EBRD’s new Gender and Inclusion Strategy
May 14, 2025
This issue paper presents three case studies from which the Bank could learn while revising its gender and inclusion strategy.
Bypass: the hidden social toll of Georgia’s East-West Highway on its towns and villages
May 5, 2025
Supported by international development banks and promoted as a strategic corridor linking Asia to Europe, Georgia’s East-West highway is central to the country’s ambitions of becoming a regional transit hub. With a price tag of EUR 1.2 billion, much of which is financed through loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Investment Bank (EIB), and the World Bank (WB), the highway construction project was framed as a symbol of progress, promising speed, connectivity and economic growth.
Karaganda, Kazakhstan: Why are public concerns about a risky wastewater project being ignored?
April 24, 2025
Residents of Karaganda, a major industrial city in central Kazakhstan, originally welcomed plans to modernise the larger of its two wastewater treatment plants with the help of a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). However, the design of the project – revealed during public hearings – has prompted significant concerns among both citizens and experts. Over the past year, a local civil society organisation has been advocating for a review of the design, highlighting technical flaws and violations of stakeholder engagement obligations.
International agribusiness ambitions leave local impacts in Ukraine: A case of Environmental Impacts from poultry producer MHP
April 17, 2025
The most significant uses of peat in the world are for the creation of soil substrates and the production of energy. In 2022, the peat sector was responsible for 10.7 per cent of Latvia’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Peatlands store twice as much carbon as forests worldwide.
Joint civil society statement: Urgent call on the IFC and the EBRD for remedy and accountability at Indorama Agro in Uzbekistan
April 3, 2025
89 civil society organizations signed a joint statement calling on the IFC and the EBRD to ensure remedy and accountability, for the severe and systemic violations at Indorama Agro cotton project in Uzbekistan.
