The controversy about the D1 motorway came from two angles: first, as a PPP its critics said it was overpriced, and second, the project promoter decided not to follow the route recommended through the Environmental Impact Assessment process, instead choosing one that would impact on protected Natura 2000 areas.

The M25 widening scheme has faced a barrage of criticism due to its higher than necessary costs and failure to properly assess the alternative option of using the hard shoulder as an extra lane during peak hours. The UK House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has estimated that the potential extra cost to the taxpayer has amounted to around GBP 1 billion (EUR 1.2 billion).

The EBRD-financed Zagreb Wastewater Treatment Plant, which opened in phases between 2004 and 2007, was intended to improve water quality in the River Sava. No-one disputed that some wastewater treatment was needed in the city, but the project which was developed has brought more questions than answers and cost Zagreb’s residents dearly.

Private water concessions in France have been increasingly challenged, resulting in the re-municipalisation of the water supply in several cities, including Paris.

In spite of heavy support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (see box), which claims to improve corporate governance and raise standards in the projects in which it participates, in 2009, the most recent year for which figures could be found, water losses were still at 58 percent and most people in Sofia consider the water undrinkable.