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Coal is an outdated industry on its last leg.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

Mining boom in Mongolia

With huge amounts of unexploited natural resources (gold, copper, coal and more) the Mongolian economy is estimated to grow massively in the years to come. But will it also benefit the people in Mongolia? Our work shows how mining operations lead to pollution and displacement for local herders and exacerbate water scarcity issues.

Kolubara lignite mine, Serbia

Linked to a slew of controversies, the Kolubara lignite mine in Serbia will receive loans from European public banks. Corruption allegations, pollution at local level, irregularities in resettlement of local populations and not to forget a climate damaging approach to energy investments should be reason enough to find alternatives to lignite mining.

An aerial view of the Sostanj lignite power plant showing smoke stacks and cooling towers and lots of smoke and steam.

Sostanj lignite thermal power plant unit 6, Slovenia

Slovenia has built a new 600 MW unit at the Šoštanj lignite power plant (TEŠ6) which has turned out to be a financial disaster, as well as locking the country into a carbon-intensive future with tens of millions of annual losses for the next four decades.

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What is the current state of the just transition processes in Bulgaria?

Briefing | 30 January, 2023 | Download PDF

This briefing summarises just transition planning in Bulgaria thus far, reviewing the TJTPs’ compatibility with EU requirements and the overall process’s alignment with the partnership principle. It provides recommendations for improving just transition in the upcoming period.

Energy poverty in Latvia – from definition towards action

Briefing | 24 January, 2023 | Download PDF

This summary briefing reviews the state of energy poverty in Latvia, focusing on how this term is defined in Latvian law and practice and what programmes are in place to assist those struggling to pay for the energy they use.

Is Samarkand ready to become a Green City?

Briefing | 26 December, 2022 | Download PDF

This briefing reviews Samarkand’s existing urban development plans, the main environmental and social concerns of residents with a focus on public transport, and provides recommendations on including civil society in the GCAP planning.

Analysis of alternatives to coal-based district heating for the Bitola region in North Macedonia

Analysis | 21 December, 2022 | Download PDF

The study examines the current heating situation in the Bitola region (covering the municipalities of Bitola, Mogila and Novaci), followed by an analysis of the techno-economic potential for using decentralised heating solutions that are also in line with the country’s environmental protection commitments.

Applying best practices from EU funds to the reconstruction of Ukraine

Briefing | 20 December, 2022 | Download PDF

This briefing reviews lessons from EU funds such as cohesion policy funding and the Recovery and Resilience Facility for ensuring Ukraine’s reconstruction is financed in a way that ensures participation and green, sustainable outcomes.