A letter to the EBRD on the Alexandria Refinery in Egypt and Mytilineos Gas Power Plant in Greece
November 23, 2021
This letter voices Bankwatch’s concerns about the Alexandria Refinery in Egypt and Mytilineos Gas Power Plant in Greece projects that are scheduled for Board Approval on the 24th of November 2021. We urge the Board of Directors not to support these pro
Major setback on transparency at the EIB
November 18, 2021
Yesterday, the European Investment Bank (EIB) – the financial arm of the EU – approved a new Transparency Policy that will allow the bank to keep hiding information on projects it finances despite their potential impacts on people and the environment.
EU funds should never harm nature, climate or the environment Statement of the Green 10 on the ‘do no significant harm’ principle
November 18, 2021
This statement, written together with the Green 10 and EuroNatur, outlines our main concerns about the application of the ‘do no significant harm’ principle to EU public funds. The EU intends to expand the application of this principle to a variety of
Updated Renewable Energy Directive needs built-in biodiversity protection
November 17, 2021
A higher EU renewable energy target may help reduce greenhouse gases, but could also accelerate the biodiversity crisis if not properly managed. To prevent this, support schemes for renewables must be explicitly tied to compliance with EU environmental law.
The EIB cannot become a ‘climate leader’ while failing on transparency
November 10, 2021
The European Investment Bank (EIB) – the financial arm of the EU – is about to approve a new Transparency Policy that will allow the bank to keep hiding information on projects it considers to finance despite their potential impacts on people and the environment.
Radio silence on gas allegations: European Commission breaks another deadline to respond to Bankwatch’s complaint
October 21, 2021
The European Commission’s Directorate General for Energy is dragging its feet in answering allegations on its role in the selection of priority gas pipelines in the Western Balkans and Caucasus region. The delays threaten to diminish the chances of the Ombudsman’s findings being taken into account while developing new EU energy rules.
Joint civil society statement: Making human rights a true priority of the EIB
October 14, 2021
This joint civil society statement prepared by 12 civil society organisations outlines our recommendations for integrating human rights into the EIB’s Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework, by proposing specific improvements to the Policy a
EIB misinterprets EU’s development finance needs
October 12, 2021
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has long been seeking to take a more significant role in the EU’s overseas development effort. But it has also been resisting calls to upgrade its policy on the environmental, social and human rights ramifications of the projects it supports.
Briefing for the European Commission: the Polluter Pays Principle in the just transition process – diagnosis and recommendations
October 7, 2021
The Polluter Pays Principle (PPP) is one of the biggest concerns in the implementation of just transition support. This Principle should ensure that polluters bear the costs of their pollution and are incentivised to avoid environmental damage. However
A third of European Investment Bank lending evades environmental and social rules
September 21, 2021
More than a third of the European Investment Bank (EIB)’s EU lending is carried out via intermediaries. Yet most of this money disappears into a black hole, with no information published about the final beneficiaries and no checks by the EIB about their environmental and social impacts. The EIB’s new safeguard framework is supposed to address this, but the draft text leaves the Bank far behind its peers.
