Balkans

With potentially devastating impacts on natural habitats, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has so far offered no real commitment to environmental protection in its ambiguous decisions on two hydropower plants in Croatia and Macedonia.

Today Bankwatch member group Zelena akcija/Friends of the Earth - Croatia held an action today outside the offices of the EBRD in Zagreb, calling on the bank not to approve a planned loan of up to EUR 123 million for the Ombla hydropower plant project. You can see some images from the demo here.

The European Union's internal and external ambitions for green economies are being countered by the activities of European international financial institutions. EU Commissioner for the Environment Potocnik can see that also in his home country Slovenia.

Before making any decisions on the planned EUR 80 million loan for the Kolubara lignite mine project in Serbia, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s Board of Directors should take note of the controversy the bank will get involved in. Not only are the climate impacts of lignite well known, but the project is also indirectly connected to the resettlement of nearby residents.

Bankwatch’s coordinator in Serbia Zvezdan Kalmar finds himself in a situation similar to the one when campaigning on the Gazela bridge project: Roma families live in uncertainty about when they’ll be resettled to make way for road construction, all the while with little influence about how decisions are made.