Publication search results

Polish authorities on collision course with EU institutions over S7 expressway

Bankwatch Mail | 17 December, 2015 | Download PDF

A barely eight kilometre long section of an express road in central Poland is becoming another battlefield in the long-running conflict between Polish road authorities on one side and European biodiversity protection laws, and environmental NGOs trying to uphold them, on the other. Except this time, it’s not just about the law – it’s also about the money.

---

The newly proposed World Bank Safeguards – A paper tiger?

Bankwatch Mail | 17 December, 2015 | Download PDF

The social and environmental policies of the World Bank – commonly referred to as the ‘Safeguards’ – have been under review since 2012. In July 2015, as part of this review, the World Bank, released a second draft of the Safeguards for consultation and public comments.

---

Bankwatch Mail 63

Bankwatch Mail | 17 December, 2015 | Download PDF

Published after the conclusion of the UN climate negotiations in Paris, Issue 63 of Bankwatch Mail presents ample evidence of how the EBRD and the EIB continue to be firmly tied to fossil fuel financing, in spite of increasing pressure to do more to end support for carbon-intensive sources of energy. And even when multilateral development banks say they’re doing ‘clean energy’ some of the effects are proving to be catastrophic – as the impacts of IFI-backed hydropower projects across the Balkans show. We also take a look at the new kid on the IFI block, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and consider among other things how its ambition to be ‘lean, clean, and green’ sits with apparent plans for the new bank to help fire up a lot of coal power plants across Asia.

---

At the start of spending: Environmental partners still ostracised

Briefing | 15 December, 2015 | Download PDF

An assessment of the application of the “European Code of Conduct on Partnership” during the establishment of the national implementation bodies and the first phase of ESI Funds implementation in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Slovakia.

---

Improvements needed in transparency and environmental soundness of EBRD-financed hydropower facilities

Advocacy letter | 15 December, 2015 | Download PDF

In light of the worrying findings of a study on hydropower projects in southeast Europe – most notably the high number of projects in protected areas – this letter asks the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to better implement its environmental and social policy and hydropower sustainability criteria, establish no-go zones in protected areas and rivers of outstanding quality, and disclose project information about projects with a clear environmental impact which are financed through financial intermediaries.

---