European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

The leading Ukrainian agribusiness giant has been enjoying generous support in public funds and national subsidies. With over half a billion euros from the EBRD, EIB and the IFC, Myronivsky Hliboproduct PJSC (MHP) has grown into a near monopolist in poultry production. While MHP’s vertically integrated model has contributed to its status as a leading Ukrainian agribusiness, the scale and nature of its business have also contributed to mounting concerns about its social and environmental impacts. These concerns are compounded by patterns of poor community consultation and a lack of information provided about MHP’s operations, leaving project-affected people guessing about the true impacts of its operations.

This system of mega-pipelines meant to bring gas from Azerbaijan to Europe, is unnecessary for Europe’s declining gas demand. But the billions in public investments will boost Azerbaijan’s dictatorial regime and cause upheaval for transit communities in Turkey, Greece, Albania and Italy.

The Nenskra dam is the most advanced of Georgia’s massive plans for hydropower installations in the Upper Svaneti region. It will deprive the local community, ethnic Svans, of lands and livelihoods, but potential negative impacts have not been properly assessed.

During the annual meetings of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the bank is the subject of a complaint for policy violations via a EUR 200 million loan to Serbia’s state-owned energy utility: money earmarked to prepare the fossil fuels-based company for the realities of adhering to stricter EU legislation will instead enable it to extract and burn even more fossil fuels.

A visit to six mountain rivers and nine small dams in Macedonia exposed similar problems with many of them.

Eight hydropower projects in Albania, Croatia and Macedonia financed with European public money have damaged biodiversity and are in urgent need of increased monitoring and restoration measures.