Mostar locals continue to resist Corridor Vc routing amid new tunnel loan talks
Press release | 19 March, 2024On 11-13 March a Bankwatch team visited Mostar and the nearby villages of Kosor, Ortiješ and Malo Polje. The team met with more than 25 landowners from the three villages, visited vineyards in Ortiješ, nearby construction sites on the Corridor Vc, and the Podveležje ridge. They discussed with local people the developments in the valley, ongoing legal action and the results of complaints at the EBRD’s accountability mechanism.
Read moreSoft landing: New high-level EIB ‘revolving door’ revelations suggest systemic issue persists
Blog entry | 1 March, 2024Alarming new Politico report uncovers ‘revolving doors’ in the EIB’s highest echelons linked to the controversial expansion of the Budapest airport.
Read moreBosnia and Herzegovina: Corridor Vc motorway south of Mostar needs rerouting to meet EBRD and EU standards
Press release | 16 February, 2024A European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) compliance review has vindicated Mostar complainants affected by the Corridor Vc in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now the Federation of BIH government, with support from the EU and European public banks, must ensure effective remedy.
Read moreNew EIB President Nadia Calviño must put people’s needs first
Press release | 8 December, 2023The new European Investment Bank (EIB) President Nadia Calviño must tap into the Bank’s green and social potential. She should direct the EIB to mobilise its resources to meet the fundamental needs of people and to assist with transforming our society into one that’s ecological and sustainable.
Read moreEU’s massive loan for Split: showdown between tourist paradise and residents’ needs
Blog entry | 29 November, 2023This summer was hot in the Croatian city of Split. Adding to the rising temperatures and usual tourist buzz was a heated political debate over a EUR 150 million framework loan approved by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the biggest loan to date for Split.
Read moreLegal challenges hit Greece – North Macedonia gas pipeline plans
Press release | 19 September, 2023Non-governmental organisations CEE Bankwatch Network and Eko-svest have submitted three formal complaints alleging legal breaches in the planned Greece – North Macedonia fossil gas pipeline project.
Read moreIs this development? Public development banks must rethink their investments and put local communities first
Blog entry | 4 September, 2023On 4 to 6 September, the world’s public development banks will gather for the Finance in Common Summit in Cartagena, Colombia. They’ll be discussing key development issues – from climate change to infrastructure – issues that affect the lives of millions of people around the world. Bankwatch is on the ground to expose the adverse impacts of investments made by development banks and advocates for meaningful community participation in decision-making on development projects.
Read moreCivil society calls on public development banks to overhaul their approach to development
Press release | 4 September, 2023As a member of the Coalition for Human Rights in Development, Bankwatch has joined civil society organisations and human rights defenders from over 20 countries in calling for immediate and effective action from public development banks.
Read moreEuropean Ombudsman urges European Investment Bank to enhance transparency – once again!
Press release | 26 July, 2023The European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU’s lending arm, is facing renewed pressure to improve its transparency (1). In a recent decision, the Ombudsman highlighted the EIB’s insufficient justification for withholding access to environmental information related to a significant loan granted to Poland’s largest state-owned energy utility, PGE (2).
Read more‘EU climate bank’ keeps back door open for fossil fuel giants
Blog entry | 2 May, 2023The European Investment Bank (EIB) made history with its decision to stop financing fossil fuel energy from 2022 onwards. By adopting the PATH Framework in October 2021, it seemed the EIB had finally set the conditions requiring its clients to disclose information on their corporate-level emissions, as well as decarbonisation plans. But a year later, it made a U-turn.
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