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.
Public money vs. pristine rivers
October 21, 2021
As the EIB revises its Environmental and Social Standards, this report presents eight hydropower schemes in central and eastern Europe either financed or under consideration by the Bank. The projects – some financed directly and others via intermediari
Drina dam “groundbreaking” event met by scepticism and protests
May 17, 2021
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić has today taken part in what was billed as a groundbreaking ceremony for the hotly disputed Buk Bijela dam on the upper part of the river Drina in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The event has been met by opposition from Serbia, Montenegro and BiH, as well as scepticism about the project’s readiness.
The cracks of Shuakhevi
May 5, 2021
Water is leaking out of Shuakhevi hydropower plant’s recently reopened dam again. With three international financial institutions involved, who’s responsible for the safety of this USD 420 million project?
A case study on the Beli Kamen and Komalj hydropower plants on the Crni Rzav and Ribnica Rivers in Serbia
April 22, 2021
The small hydropower plants Beli Kamen and Komalj are built on the Crni Rzav and Ribnica Rivers of the Drina basin in western Serbia. Both plants are interconnected, as they use water from the same intakes and were financed by the European Investment B
Saving ‘private’ Rioni: Georgia’s growing environmental protest
April 9, 2021
In just a few months, a protest against a large dam on the Rioni River has grown from a handful of people in Lechkhumi, western Georgia into a national demonstration. On the International Day of Action for Rivers, 14 March, thousands of Georgians made history with the largest environmental protest in the country’s recent past.
Tashlyk hydro pumped storage plant, Ukraine
April 7, 2021
On 12 May 2020, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced that it is considering financing the completion of the Tashlyk hydro pumped storage plant (HPSP) project. The Ukrainian state-owned enterprise National Nuclear Energy Generating Company (Ener
Blagoevgradska Bistritsa hydropower cascade (Bulgaria)
March 30, 2021
The Blagoevgradska Bistritsa hydropower cascade in Bulgaria consists of eight small hydropower plants installed on pipelines that supply the town of Blagoevgrad with drinking water. The plants were developed by the private company Blagoevgradska Bistri
Nenskra hydropower project: update
January 29, 2021
Since it was first proposed, the Nenskra hydropower project in Georgia has raised significant controversy and concerns among the indigenous Svan communities living near the proposed plant, as well as the general public in Georgia. The accountability mechanisms of the EIB, EBRD and ADB have found numerous violations of the lenders’ environmental and human rights standards, as well as violations of the rights of affected Svan communities.
Can the EIB become the “EU Development Bank”?
November 9, 2020
This report analyses the EIB’s track record in the development field and offers a series of detailed recommendations for fundamental reforms at the EIB, so that the Bank can better support partner countries’ development priorities and ultimately become a credible candidate for the “EU Development Bank” seat.
