What we do - Bankwatch

From a grassroots to the international level …

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.

Focus areas

Institutions

Projects

Publications

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.

FOCUS AREAS

Beyond coal

Coal is an outdated industry on its last leg.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.

A people’s budget

The key to unlocking a positive new vision for Europe is rethinking the EU budget for a more equal and sustainable economy. An economy based on well-being.

INSTITUTIONS WE MONITOR

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

European Investment Bank

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Post-2020 EU budget

OUR PROJECTS

Search our archived projects instead

Kresna gorge / Struma motorway, Bulgaria

The Struma motorway is tragically emblematic of an EU-funded project that has wrought havoc on European biodiversity and the wishes of local communities. In spite of two decades of protest by civil society and citizens, part of the Struma motorway section is planned directly through the Kresna gorge, a Natura 2000 site and Bulgaria’s richest biodiversity hotspot.

Krapska Reka small hydropower plant, Macedonia

Loopholes in the EBRD’s due diligence, together with a lack of assessment and monitoring by Macedonia’s local and central government, has proven to be a lethal combination for the country’s rivers. A prime example is the Krapska Reka small hydropower project. The authorities’ failure to recognise the location as part of the proposed Jakupica National Park, Emerald area and a future Natura 2000 site, on top of poor mitigation measures and construction practices, have caused irreversible damage to this small river valley.

Dabrova Dolina hydropower plant, Croatia

A harmless-sounding mill conversion project on Croatia’s stunning river Mrežnica is a textbook example of how even small hydropower plants can damage protected areas. It also exemplifies the lack of transparency and oversight of investments that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development channelled through commercial bank intermediaries.

« Previous Page

Chinese-built coal projects in Europe

Briefing | 14 September, 2020 | Download PDF

A real and immediate threat to the EU’s decarbonisation efforts

Green City Action Plan for Tbilisi – A Mere Formality?

Study | 31 July, 2020 | Download PDF

Tbilisi is a city of more than 1.2 million people,1 characterized by serious environmental challenges in terms of air, water and soil pollution. It also experiences problems with urban planning and mobility. This briefing analyses the lack of integration in international efforts to make Tbilisi a greener, more sustainable place to live.