Comments on the draft Environmental and Social Policy with a focus on human rights due diligence
May 27, 2024
The EBRD’s safeguards revisions show some progress, but the Bank needs to strengthen its own environmental and social due diligence, particularly in the area of human rights, to prevent human rights abuses through early risk identification and effective mitigation.
Key trends and shortcomings in community engagement on high-risk EBRD projects
May 24, 2024
The EBRD sets out requirements for stakeholder engagement as part of project risk and impact assessments. This study reviews the stakeholder engagement practices of EBRD clients in all 34 high-risk projects disclosed between 2020 and 2024.
Civil society joint statement on the EBRD’s draft safeguards
May 24, 2024
Despite some improvements, the latest drafts of the EBRD’s updated good governance policies fall short of ensuring that human rights are respected and protected, especially in countries with significant democratic deficits. In a joint statement, 60 civil society organisations urge the EBRD to enhance its human rights due diligence.
Civil society urges the EBRD to adopt responsible policies and reaffirm its commitment to promoting democracy
May 14, 2024
As the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) gathers for its 33rd Annual Meeting in Yerevan (1), civil society organisations have united to challenge the EBRD’s flawed policies. They highlight numerous cases where EBRD investments have had negative impacts on communities and the environment (2). CEE Bankwatch Network, a leading organisation in this effort, is also calling on the EBRD to take decisive action against the increasing repression of civil society in the countries where it operates.
Statement by Bankwatch’s Executive Director on the shrinking space for civil society in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and other EBRD’s countries of operation
May 13, 2024
With the recent adoption of the “foreign representatives” law in Kyrgyzstan and a similar “foreign influence” bill awaiting final approval in the Georgian parliament, civic space continues to shrink in the EBRD’s countries of operations.
More than money: New report reveals shortcomings in human rights policies of leading public development banks
May 6, 2024
As the EBRD gears up for its Annual Meeting on 14 May, the FIDH and Bankwatch release a report comparing the lending policies of four major public development banks whose loopholes are contributing to human rights violations.
EBRD Annual Meeting 2024
April 17, 2024
EBRD Annual Meeting 2024 Yerevan, Armenia Between 14 and 16 May 2024, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will hold its annual meeting in Yerevan, Armenia. Like every year, Bankwatch and its civil society partners will raise iss
Mostar locals continue to resist Corridor Vc routing amid new tunnel loan talks
March 19, 2024
On 11-13 March a Bankwatch team visited Mostar and the nearby villages of Kosor, Ortiješ and Malo Polje. The team met with more than 25 landowners from the three villages, visited vineyards in Ortiješ, nearby construction sites on the Corridor Vc, and the Podveležje ridge. They discussed with local people the developments in the valley, ongoing legal action and the results of complaints at the EBRD’s accountability mechanism.
‘It’s like installing a fixed-line telephone’ Why is North Macedonia planning an oversized gas pipeline without any public debate?
February 14, 2024
As the EU reduces its gas consumption, North Macedonia is planning the opposite. Why is it building a large new import pipeline, why has it failed to consult the public, and why are EU banks supporting it?
Can the EBRD deliver effective sustainable infrastructure in the transport and municipal sectors?
February 1, 2024
This briefing makes recommendations aimed at contributing to the preparation of the EBRD’s new Sustainable Infrastructure Strategy.
