COMMENT: Amid shrinking civic space, will the EBRD still uphold its democratic mandate?
June 6, 2025
As the EBRD expands its operations into new regions, including sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq, will it stay true to its founding mission, and place democracy and civic participation at the heart of its approach?
The role of stakeholder engagement in the EBRD’s impact monitoring and reporting
May 30, 2025
This report examines the EBRD’s policies and practices related to stakeholder engagement and its monitoring and reporting at the project, country, and institutional levels. It identifies gaps in transparency at the project level, consultations on country strategies, and institutional reporting.
Rethinking urban mobility: Why green vehicles are no fix for broken transport systems
May 26, 2025
The EBRD’s new Infrastructure Sector Strategy represents a significant step towards sustainable urban transport investments. However, it remains to be seen whether the implementation of the strategy will strike the much-needed balance between infrastructure investments and policy actions.
GET greener: Strengthening the EBRD’s Green Economy Transition approach
May 26, 2025
The EBRD’s review of its GET approach should help to build an increased consensus on what investments can be considered ‘green’. This issue paper presents the key points from our extensive comments submitted to the EBRD in early April 2025.
District heating projects financed by the EBRD in Ukraine
May 14, 2025
This briefing examines EBRD-financed district heating projects in Western Ukraine, particularly in Ternopil and Lutsk.
Beyond mainstreaming: Advancing gender impact in the EBRD’s new Gender and Inclusion Strategy
May 14, 2025
This issue paper presents three case studies from which the Bank could learn while revising its gender and inclusion strategy.
Why the EBRD must end support for primary forest biomass in the Western Balkans
May 7, 2025
This issue paper presents case studies from Bosnia and Herzegovina that highlight how EBRD-backed large-scale biomass projects have faced significant challenges related to sustainability, affordability, and fuel supply.
EBRD Annual Meeting 2025
April 24, 2025
EBRD Annual Meeting 2025 London, United Kingdom From 13 to 15 May, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will hold its 34th Annual Meeting in London, United Kingdom. Bankwatch and its civil society partners will once again use t
Central Asia: environmental groups and scientists call on international financial institutions to preserve key freshwater bodies and stop supporting destructive hydropower projects
March 14, 2025
The future of Central Asia’s key rivers and lakes is at risk, warn international environmental groups Rivers without Boundaries, International Rivers, Friends of the Earth US, Urgewald and CEE Bankwatch Network in a formal request sent today to the World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
Ringing the bell for gender equality and diversity: European public banks must do more for women’s rights and economic empowerment
March 7, 2025
In the current age of ‘competent white men’, ‘traditional family values’ and the EU’s simplified sustainable finance regulations, what lies in store for the inclusion and equality policies of Europe’s public development banks?
