While the EBRD shows off its green credentials at COP29, its North Macedonia gas pipeline loan still brings more questions than answers
Blog entry | 19 November, 2024The EBRD has made significant investments in solar, wind and energy efficiency in recent years. But these have been undermined by its continued support for fossil fuels. This April, a EUR 98 million loan for the Greece to North Macedonia pipeline was approved, despite major leaks in the Bank’s rationale for supporting it. Recent delays have further exposed the flawed assumptions behind the project, as our new briefing shows.
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Greece – North Macedonia gas interconnector update
Publication | 19 November, 2024This briefing takes an updated look at the Greece – North Macedonia gas interconnector project and concludes that the arguments in favour of the project are still not supported by convincing evidence and that the claimed benefits are highly unlikely to materialise.
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Western Balkan cities: Pressure with no release
Publication | 24 October, 2024Using case studies from Belgrade, Sarajevo and Skopje, our report examines urban planning practices, the consequences of poor governance, and the need for sustainable infrastructure investment.
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Briefing for the Board of Directors and Management Committee of the European Investment Bank
Publication | 16 October, 2024Compared to other multilateral development banks like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, the EIB lags significantly in the timely and proactive disclosure of project-related data.
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European Investment Bank in Ukraine (2022-2024): Some findings and challenges
Publication | 11 October, 2024This briefing critically analyses the European Investment Bank’s involvement in Ukraine from 2022 to 2024, highlighting persistent challenges in procurement, transparency, governance, and civil society involvement.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina: Environmental and social study for Prenj motorway tunnel needs to tackle the elephants in the room
Blog entry | 2 July, 2024The environmental and social impact assessment for the planned Prenj tunnel on the Corridor Vc motorway provides a wealth of details on some issues, but fundamental questions remain, particularly on the Bijela canyon Emerald site near Konjic and the Podgorani area near Mostar.
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Supporting the just transition through dedicated technical assistance
Publication | 28 June, 2024The just transition implementation phase is underway. However, additional support is needed to drive implementation and help projects respond to their particular challenges. This briefing provides recommendations for supporting the just transition process with technical assistance, capacity building, project preparation and project funding.
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Poor planning by the European Investment Bank puts at risk one of the largest wind energy projects in the Western Balkans
Blog entry | 19 June, 2024Following concerns from local people, the Aarhus Centre in Sarajevo and CEE Bankwatch Network have started legal actions on the lack of environmental impact assessment and appropriate assessment for the 132 MW Poklečani wind project in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Hasty decisions by the Federation of BiH authorities and European Investment Bank might end up delaying the project for years.
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More than money: New report reveals shortcomings in human rights policies of leading public development banks
Press release | 6 May, 2024As the EBRD gears up for its Annual Meeting on 14 May, the FIDH and Bankwatch release a report comparing the lending policies of four major public development banks whose loopholes are contributing to human rights violations.
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More than money: Development banks must strengthen human rights safeguards
Publication | 6 May, 2024Despite environmental and social safeguards in place, projects financed by public development banks all too often violate human rights.
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