Public finance for mining must bring more than a mirage of development benefits in Mongolian desert
Press release | 13 June, 2011Ulan Baatar, Mongolia – Civil society groups are demanding that investments from international financial institutions to extract resources in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert guarantee that livelihoods are protected for those living near the mines and profit windfalls are used as an impetus to social and economic development for the region.
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Transparency improvements grind to a halt at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Blog entry | 10 June, 2011Bankwatch research co-ordinator Pippa Gallop discusses the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s draft public information policy and how the bank has come to a standstill with improving its transparency rules.
Read morePolice investigates irregularities at TES 6 in Slovenia
Press release | 8 June, 2011Ljubljana, Slovenia — The Slovenian police confirmed June 7 that it was looking into allegations of mismanagement at coal plant Sostanj, including serious questions over the building of new lignite block TES 6.
Read moreEBRD Draft Public Information Policy – comments
Publication | 31 May, 2011The revised Public Information Policy (PIP) of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) adopts only few of the NGOs’ proposals submitted during the first stage of commenting, therefore missing the opportunity to improve the draft. We insist that the detailed comments submitted in January should be further considered by the EBRD before drafting its final PIP. These comments concentrate on several priority issues, in addition to those submitted in January.
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Bringing Georgian realities to the EBRD drawing board
Blog entry | 30 May, 2011David Chipashvili from Bankwatch member group Green Alternative in Georgia talks about the opportunities and threats in bringing concerns from the ground to the attention of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Read moreRecommendations for the EBRD’s Public Information Policy based on comparative analysis of IFC and other disclosure policies
Publication | 30 May, 2011The current draft of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s public information policy lacks several provisions and innovations which should be considered the latest best practice in information disclosure in multilateral development banks.
Read moreAre we nearly there yet? Dilemmas of transition after 20 years of EBRD’s operations
Publication | 20 May, 2011As 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.
Read moreEBRD should change mandate to prioritise people and the environment, says Bankwatch
Press release | 20 May, 2011Astana, Kazakhstan – After twenty years of promoting market economies in central and eastern Europe, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development needs to move swiftly and genuinely towards prioritising social justice and transition to energy efficient, renewable energy based economies if it wants to bring real benefits to the region, says a new policy paper from CEE Bankwatch Network issued on the occasion of the EBRD annual meeting in Astana May 20 (1).
Read moreBankwatch Mail 48
Publication | 19 May, 2011On 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.
Read moreIs the EBRD’s policy on offshore financial centres meaningful?
Publication | 15 May, 2011In 2010 the EBRD approved a senior loan of up to RUB 650 million (around EUR 16 million) for the New Forwarding Company (Novaya perevozochnaya kompaniya – NPK), the main operating subsidiary of Globaltrans Investment Plc, the top private railway transportation company in Russia. When trying to find out who owns GlobalTrans Investment, the trail stops in the Bahamas. What does this case mean for the EBRD’s policy on offshore jurisdictions and transparency more generally?
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