What we do - Bankwatch

From a grassroots to the international level …

We’re the largest network of grassroots, environmental and human rights groups in central and eastern Europe.

We monitor public finance institutions that are responsible for hundreds of billions of investments across the globe. The banks and funds we watch are often obscure but always important entities that function outside public scrutiny.

Together with local communities and other NGOs we work to expose their influence and provide a counterbalance to their unchecked power. We investigate the impacts of public finance, work with affected communities and local organisations across the world and help them protect their rights and livelihoods. We make sure their stories are being told in Europe’s power centers.

We regularly meet representatives of the institutions we monitor and we’re in Brussels, too, doing our bit to make Europe a fairer, cleaner and sustainable place.

Alternative news

We expose the risks of international public finance and bring critical updates from the ground.

We believe that the billions of public money should work for people and the environment.

CAMPAIGN AREAS

Beyond fossil fuels

Coal is an outdated industry on its last leg. Public finance can move our economies in a new, socially responsible direction.

Rights, democracy, development

Public money must not become an auxiliary for human rights violations or the marginalisation of affected communities.

Finance and biodiversity

A clash is raging between nature and finance. Our work where finance meets the natural world advocates for adequate protection and restoration projects to ensure a green future for all.

Energy transformation

We work to ensure that EU financial flows address the climate crisis and do no harm to people and nature. We do this by involving the public in the design and spending of EU investments.

Cities for people

City residents should have a say in how this money is spent in their cities. Their voices can help make their cities more resilient in the face of climate challenges.

INSTITUTIONS WE MONITOR

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

European Investment Bank

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Asian Development Bank

OUR PROJECTS

Kamengrad lignite power plant, Bosnia-Herzegovina

An idea to build a power plant at the open-cast Kamengrad coal mine near Sanski Most in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been around for years, but in November 2017 it took a step forward with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Energy China International and the construction supplier Lager d.o.o. for a 2 x 215 MW plant.

Myronivsky Hliboproduct (MHP), Ukraine

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.

Fossil fuels in the Balkans

After more than a decade of civil society campaigns, Western Balkan countries are finally ditching their dreams of building new coal power plants and starting to ramp up renewable energy. But the path to a sustainable energy transition is far from assu

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