Bankwatch input on EBRD country level transition indicators
February 14, 2012
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is revising its country level transition indicators, which help measuring the impacts of the bank’s lending. Bankwatch’s input comments on the EBRD’s current indicators and proposes to include indicators that more concretely could illustrate the EBRD’s impact on the environment and the lives of people in its countries of operation. Specifically, our indicators pertain to aspects of inequality, gender, labour standards, life satisfaction and resource efficiency.
Tragedy or comedy, what is the Nabucco pipeline really?
January 19, 2012
The announcement of German energy giant RWE to reconsider its plans for the Nabucco pipeline is just the last in a series of confusingly conflicting signals regarding the fate of this gargantuan project.
Comments on the European Neighbourhood Policy and the forthcoming European Neighborhood Instrument
November 30, 2011
The primary goal of the EU’s neighbourhood policy should be based on an insistence on increased democracy in EU neighbourhood countries. This should happen through public participation in decision-making processes, the establishment of good governance and sustainable development practices, increased environmental protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as increased welfare and social security across these countries.
The people’s perspective please: are public social safety nets important?
November 16, 2011
Yesterday, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) published its Transition Report for 2011, subtitled “The People’s Perspective”. This is because the study pays unprecedented attention to how regular households in post-socialist countries are managing after almost three years of economic crisis.
European Parliament makes a step towards putting the ‘E’ into EBRD
October 19, 2011
By requesting a number of changes at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Parliament has confirmed at least some of Bankwatch’s criticism of the bank’s mode of operation and (in a subtle way) also its overall approach.
Bypassing responsibility
August 8, 2011
The complaints office at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has agreed to investigate a complaint from Bankwatch that a railway project in Georgia has not been properly assessed. Georgian Bankwatcher Dato Chipashvili thinks the case should be a lesson for the EBRD to make sure that from the start local people have their say in how projects are done.
Bringing Georgian realities to the EBRD drawing board
May 30, 2011
David 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.
New ban on cyanide mining in Hungary gives hope across the region
December 22, 2009
A ban on all cyanide-based mining technologies on Hungarian territory that was passed by 356 votes in favour to one vote against in Hungary’s parliament earlier this month has strengthened hopes of other national bans – even a Europe-wide ban – ahead of the tenth anniversary of the Baia Mare disaster next month.
BTC Pipeline – An IFI Recipe for Increasing Poverty
October 11, 2005
Report reveals the real impacts of BP’s Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline and catalogues the Georgian people’s unfulfilled hopes of increased welfare and development arising from BP’s billion dollar project, hopes which have been fuelled by project backers the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Is the EIB cooling climate change or fueling it? New report sceptical about EU bank’s investments in renewables
June 2, 2005
With the European Commission sponsored Green Week underway in Brussels, a new study has found that the European Investment Bank’s commitment to investing in renewable energy is in serious doubt owing to the EIB’s opaque information procedures and its definition of renewable energy projects.