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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Belgrade incinerator public private partnership (PPP), Belgrade, Serbia
The planned Belgrade waste incinerator, financed by the EBRD, IFC and Austrian Development Bank (OeEB), is incompatible with waste prevention and recycling targets. The European Commission and EIB recognised this, and the EIB therefore refused to finance it. The project also endangers the already precarious livelihoods of up to 12,000 people waste-picking in the city.
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Why can a third of European Investment Bank lending evade the Bank’s environmental and social rules?
Briefing | 21 September, 2021 | Download PDFThe European Investment Bank’s (EIB) financial intermediaries (FIs) help the EIB to reach smaller clients than it would otherwise be able to finance. The EIB’s global lending via intermediaries amounted to EUR 22.6 billion in 2020. In the EU, credit li
Making human rights a true priority of the EIB: Joint CSOs statement
Policy comments | 14 September, 2021 | Download PDFBankwatch, together with civil society organisations worldwide, is closely following the ongoing review of the EIB’s Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework (ESSF). The draft Environmental and Social Policy and related standards proposed by t
Joint civil society letter to EIB’s President Werner Hoyer on Bank’s Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework (ESSF)
Advocacy letter | 14 September, 2021 | Download PDFBankwatch, together with civil society organisations worldwide, is closely following the ongoing review of the EIB’s Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework (ESSF). In this context, we sent several joint CSO submissions highlighting concrete
Just transition in Poland – an overview of territorial just transition plans from six coal regions
Study | 2 September, 2021 | Download PDFHave you been looking for a current overview of all the territorial just transition plans from Poland? Here it is! The publication prepared by the Polish Green Network and CEE Bankwatch Network provides a summary of all the most important information o
Coal in Romania – a review of coal assets and their impact on the environment
Study | 16 August, 2021 | Download PDFThis report documents the power plants and coal mines in Romania in order to understand their negative impact on the environment, economy and public health and support a more rapid coal phase-out. The analysis was performed based on information collect
