Comments on Project Complaint Mechanism Draft Rules of Procedure
Publication | 6 March, 2014The EBRD’s Project Complaint Mechanism’s Rules of Procedure (PCM) are part of the bank’s good governance policies which are all being revised in the beginning of 2014. In addition to these comments on the PCM here, Bankwatch has prepared comments to the good governance policies (pdf) in general separately.
Read moreComments on the EBRD’s good governance policies drafts
Publication | 6 March, 2014The EBRD’s good governance policies include the Environmental and Social Policy (ESP), the Public Information Policy (PIP) and the Project Complaint Mechanism’s Rules of Procedure (PCM). Bankwatch has also submitted separate comments on the draft Rules of Procedure for the PCM.
Read moreNGO comments on the EBRD’s Project Complaint Mechanism Draft Rules of Procedure
Publication | 6 March, 2014This comment letter, signed by 16 civil society organisations, focuses on the provisions that directly affect complainants’ access to the PCM. Specifically, our concerns relate to the Draft Rules of Procedure registration and eligibility criteria, and provisions regarding complainant participation at various stages of the PCM process.
Read moreEuropean Development Bank: Backward Step on Rights – Draft Policy Would Weaken Protection
Press release | 5 March, 2014(London) – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) new draft Environment and Social Policy would fail to weed out abusive development projects, seven human rights and bank watchdog organizations said today in a joint statement. The bank’s consultation on the draft policy closes on March 5, 2014. It then has an opportunity to revise the policy before sending it to the bank’s board for approval in the coming months.
Read moreLessons from Kolubara for the EBRD Environmental and Social Policy
Publication | 4 March, 2014The EBRD loan for the Kolubara lignite mine project in Serbia was approved when the forced removal of the local graveyard of the Vreoci community was already initiated and in spite of protests and appeals to the EBRD and in spite of on-going corruption investigations of the company. This case offers important lessons learned for the Environmental and Social Policy of the EBRD with regards to human rights.
Read moreAarhus and Espoo Conventions in the EBRD’s Draft Environmental and Social Policy (Bankwatch statement)
Publication | 27 February, 2014The EBRD’s current Environmental and Social Policy requires the bank to act in accordance with principles of international law on access to environmental information and participation in decision-making on issues that may have negative transboundary impacts on the environment. The new draft policy, however, transfers responsibility for meeting these commitments from the EBRD to the client.
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In Albania, oil’s history casts long shadows over locals
Blog entry | 21 February, 2014The findings of a visit to the EBRD sponsored Patos Marinza oil field in Albania show how local development and investments in resource extraction often do not go hand in hand. The case provides valuable lessons for the revision of the EBRD’s safeguard policies.
Read moreAppeal to the EBRD to freeze Ukrainian projects until government allows for a peaceful resolution of the current crisis
Publication | 20 February, 2014In light of the recent violence in Ukraine, Bankwatch is asking the EBRD, the largest foreign investor in Ukraine, to refrain from any further cooperation both on new and current projects until the government takes decisive and peaceful steps to end the escalation of the current crisis, ends human rights violations committed by government forces, shows clear commitment to settling the political crisis in a peaceful way and addresses the key concerns of the protests.
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EIB suspends operations in Ukraine, EBRD ducks the question
Press release | 20 February, 2014Kiev – The European Investment Bank announced the suspension of all activities in Ukraine yesterday following the most violent day since protests in this country began. In its turn, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development declared it would “concentrate on the private sector”, hardly a meaningful stance considering the close links between government and the business sector in this country.
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Quantity over quality in EBRD food security initiative – Evidence from pig farms in Ukraine
Blog entry | 19 February, 2014The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development praises its own achievements in the agricultural sector. A look at Ukraine, however, reveals how sustainable food provision, local communities and the quality of soil are falling by the wayside with the bank’s focus on big industrial operations.
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