EBRD investments in Ukrainian agro-giant MHP under investigation
Blog entry | 2 February, 2023After years of community complaints about the environmental and social damage caused by Ukrainian agro-giant Myronivsky Hliboprodukt (MHP), independent investigators are now looking into the role of international public finance in contributing to those harms. Considering the current food crisis, Ukraine’s important role in the global food supply chain and the prospect of more international investments to prop up Ukraine’s economy, it is time for financiers to learn the lessons of their past mistakes.
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How many elephants does it take to build a gas pipeline?
Blog entry | 23 January, 2023In October 2022, the EBRD published no fewer than eight environmental and social assessments on the Greece – North Macedonia fossil gas pipeline for public consultation. Thousands of pages analyse every nook and cranny along the planned route, but fail to notice the elephant in the room: the project’s massive greenhouse gas emissions.
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Is Samarkand ready to become a Green City?
Publication | 26 December, 2022This briefing reviews Samarkand’s existing urban development plans, the main environmental and social concerns of residents with a focus on public transport, and provides recommendations on including civil society in the GCAP planning.
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Almaty’s Green City Action Plan: a plan for destructive creation?
Blog entry | 8 December, 2022The Kazakh city of Almaty joined the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)’s Green Cities initiative in 2019. How does the first Green City Action Plan in Central Asia reflect public participation?
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The EBRD must finally leave fossil fuels behind
Blog entry | 6 December, 2022No justification for more public money going to the fossil fuels industry, say dozens of central and eastern European civil society organisations. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development must urgently shift its investments to help accelerate the energy transition.
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A false start for wind energy in Uzbekistan?
Publication | 1 December, 2022This report analyses the current environmental assessments for four wind projects planned to be built in Uzbekistan and adds new evidence from visits to the sites, meetings with the companies and local communities, and expert advise from environmental organisations.
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The EBRD must stay away from the unsustainable conversion of Tuzla’s coal plant and prioritise renewables in the district heating sector
Publication | 9 November, 2022This briefing offers an overview of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) ongoing assessment of whether to grant a EUR 50 million loan in order to replace unit 3 of the Tuzla coal plant with a waste and biomass incineration syst
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What do the OKKO filling stations employees say about their employer?
Publication | 3 November, 2022Petrol filling stations network OKKO, controlled by the Galnaftogaz JSC, is known throughout Ukraine. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) facilitated the expansion of this network having a long history of relations with Concern
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Rebuilding cities for people in Ukraine
Publication | 19 September, 2022This briefing describes Ukrainian cities’ efforts for green development before the war and their plans for green post-war reconstruction.
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Red flags over plans to swap coal for biomass and waste incineration in Tuzla
Blog entry | 8 September, 2022The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s energy utility Elektroprivreda BiH are signing today an agreement formalizing the Bank’s commitment to consider financial support for a particularly questionable energy project in Tuzla. But the public is barely aware of what this risky investment could bring to local communities.
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