18 NGOs call on the Coal Platform for the Western Balkans and Ukraine to commit to public participation and climate action
December 10, 2020
As the Coal Platform for the Western Balkans and Ukraine kicks off with an inaugural meeting on Dec. 10-11, 18 NGOs active in the Western Balkans and Ukraine call for effective rules to be put in place from the start in order to ensure an inclusive transition away from all fossil fuels.
Four principles for a participatory just transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine
December 10, 2020
Based on its experience in coal regions in the Western Balkans and with the EU’s Coal Regions in Transition Platform, Bankwatch has come up with four principles that the new Coal Platform for the Western Balkans and Ukraine must adhere to from the start to ensure it functions smoothly and achieves its goals.
Ukraine’s dangerous air pollution problem in desperate need of solutions
October 19, 2020
Ukraine’s air pollution problem is not receiving the attention it deserves, neither at the national nor at international levels. The authorities are dragging their feet on both monitoring air quality and emissions reductions measures, and the international community allows continuous delays and deadline extensions for Ukraine’s major polluters, which impact the air quality throughout Europe.
How to hit the ground running on just transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine
July 15, 2020
As the European Commission gears up to launch an Initiative meant to help coal regions in the Western Balkans and Ukraine transition to sustainable economies, Bankwatch publishes today a set of recommendations based on its experience working with the Platform for Coal Regions in Transition, on which the new Initiative will be modelled.
How to hit the ground running on just transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine
July 15, 2020
Recommendations for the Secretariat of the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine
Ukrainian activists taken to court by longstanding EBRD client after sounding the alarm on impacts of planned wood processing factory
April 7, 2020
Activists from the environmental NGO Ecoclub from Rivne, Ukraine are facing defamation charges after they raised warnings about a planned wood processing facility near the city. The group alerted the public to a host of potential negative environmental impacts the facility might have, which has started construction in the village of Horodok, in the Rivne region, in Ukraine’s northwest.
Charges brought against development banks over half a billion euros for Ukraine’s largest agribusiness firm
June 5, 2018
Prague, Kyiv, San Francisco – Three communities in the central Ukraine region of Vinnytsia have filed formal grievances at the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, alleging that the industrial poultry giant Myronivsky Hliboproduct (MHP) has failed to ensure basic transparency regarding the environmental and health impacts at its ‘largest poultry farm in Europe’. [1]
Complaints to IFC and EBRD regarding their investments in MHP
June 5, 2018
The complaint alleges that since the start of MHP operations in Vinnytsia in 2010, continuous odor and dust from a significant and growing number of facilities and the application of manure on nearby fields has made local life untenable. MHP activities
Tightening EBRD policies to counter Ukrainian agro giant
April 24, 2018
Myronivsky Hliboproduct PJSC (MHP), the Ukrainian agribusiness conglomerate owned by one of the country’s richest men, has been getting away with disregard for national regulations, EU law and the EBRD’s performance standards. Bankwatch is calling for the EBRD to strengthen human rights due diligence, as it revises its safeguard policies, to prevent MHP and others from misusing public funds.
Myronivsky Hliboproduct (MHP), Ukraine
April 16, 2018
The leading Ukrainian agribusiness giant has been enjoying generous support in public funds and national subsidies. With over half a billion euros from the EBRD, EIB and the IFC, Myronivsky Hliboproduct PJSC (MHP) has grown into a near monopolist in poultry production. While MHP’s vertically integrated model has contributed to its status as a leading Ukrainian agribusiness, the scale and nature of its business have also contributed to mounting concerns about its social and environmental impacts. These concerns are compounded by patterns of poor community consultation and a lack of information provided about MHP’s operations, leaving project-affected people guessing about the true impacts of its operations.