Publications

As world finance paces up to adapt to the global fight against climate change, one main player is lagging behind: the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union’s bank.

On Dec. 5, during the side event ‘Local communities build a post-coal future’ at the COP24 in Katowice, Bankwatch launched its publication ‘Heroes of Just Transition’, featuring seven stories from coal communities around central and eastern Europe, the challenges they face a…

Developments in Turkmenistan do not demonstrate commitments of the authorities to apply the political principles of the Article 1 of the Agreement Establishing the Bank. Intergovernmental organisations and CSO sources describe situation in Turkmenistan as problematic: with t…

At the COP24 in Katowice, Poland is inviting world leaders to endorse the Silesia Declaration on Solidarity and Just Transition. The document emphasizes the importance of decarbonizing economies to protect the climate in a socially responsible way, stresses the great potenti…

Independent particulate matter monitoring implemented by CEE Bankwatch Network and partner organisations from the region between October 2016 and April 2017 in six different coal-heavy locations in the Balkans just scratched the surface of the impact that coal power plants a…

Reflecting the European trend for phasing out highly polluting fuels like coal, this preliminary analysis outlines options for a just energy transition in the broad region surrounding the heart of Bulgarian coal energy – Maritsa Iztok energy complex in Stara Zagora region, w…

On 8 October the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Special Report “Global Warming of 1.5oC”. The report warned that at the current level of climate commitments the world is on course for a disastrous 3 degrees Celsius of warming. It adds furthe…

The Western Balkans, as a region that represents both a post-Socialist economy and EU accession region, can benefit greatly from up-to-date insights by the EBRD on how to move its energy transition forward more rapidly. Its decision-makers have not yet recognised the potenti…

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has recently issued a new draft Energy Strategy for public consultation that will define its activities in the energy sector from 2019-2023. It clearly commits to halt all direct financing for coal projects and not to fina…

Counter Balance, Bankwatch and partners have identified a persistent lack of transparency and assessment of the economic, environmental and social impact of the EIB’s intermediated operations, which may undermine development impacts. So far they have not been addressed prope…

The letter is written on the need to ensure the ongoing energy reviews at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank are aligned with the Paris Agreement goals.

CEE Bankwatch Network follows closely the EBRD’s ‘sister institutions’ and actively advocates for improvement of their lending policies. As the European Investment Bank (EIB) is expected to review its 2013 ‘Screening and Assessment Criteria for Energy Projects’ (also known a…