Improvements needed in transparency and environmental soundness of EBRD-financed hydropower facilities

In light of the worrying findings of a study on hydropower projects in southeast Europe - most notably the high number of projects in protected areas - this letter asks the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to better implement its environmental and social policy and hydropower sustainability criteria, establish no-go zones in protected areas and rivers of outstanding quality, and disclose project information about projects with a clear environmental impact which are financed through financial intermediaries.