CEE Bankwatch Network

CEE Bankwatch Network is an global network which operates in central and eastern Europe. There are 17 member groups, multiple non-governmental organizations based in different locations; the network is one of the largest networks of environmental NGOs in central and eastern Europe.[1] [2] Bankwatch's headquarters rest in Prague, Czech Republic.

CEE Bankwatch Network

Type	Non-governmental organization
Focus	Sustainability, Human Rights and Environmentalism concerning activities of international financial institutions
Location	Prague, Czech Republic
Area served	Global
Method	advocacy, research, direct action
Members	17 member groups
Website	bankwatch.org

Bankwatch was set up in 1995,[3] and it focuses on monitoring the actions of different international financial institutions, such as the European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), while publicizing and exposing potential risks of the projects to the public in order to address environmental, social, and economical causes. The network aims to influence the decisions of the EIB[4][5] and the EBRD and campaign for the protection of human rights and the environment.

Main Areas of Work

• Coal mining and power plants [6]
• Unsustainable hydro power plants [7]
• Extractive industries [8]

Projects followed by CEE Bankwatch Network

Fossil Fuel Projects

• Rovinari Power Station, Romania [9]
• Gacko II, Bosnia and Herzegovina[10]
• Southern Gas Corridor[11][12]
• Ugljevik Power Plant,[13][14] Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Pljevlja lignite power plant,[15][16] Montenegro
• Tuzla lignite power plant,[17][18][19] Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Sostanj lignite thermal power plant,[20] Slovenia
• Stanari lignite power plant,[21] Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Kolubara B lignite-fired power plant,[22][23] Serbia and Kolubara lignite mine,[24] Serbia
• Kostolac B3 lignite power plant,[25] Serbia
• Kosova e Re lignite power plant,[26] Kosovo
• Plomin coal power plant,[27] Croatia
• Sakhalin-II oil and gas project, Russia

Unsustainable Renewable Projects

• Boskov most hydropower plant, North Macedonia [28]
• Krapska Reka hydropower plant, Macedonia
• Dabrova Dolina hydropower plant, Croatia
• Buk Bijela dam and the Upper Drina cascade, Bosnia and Herzegovina [29] [30] [31]
• Shuakhevi hydropower plant, Georgia
• Nenskra hydropower plant, Georgia [32]
• Olkaria geothermal development, Kenya

Transport Projects

• Kresna gorge / Struma motorway, Bulgaria[33]
• Khudoni hydropower plant, Georgia[34]
• Volkswagen’s emissions scandal and the EU’s bank[35]
• Mombasa-Mariakani road project, Kenya
• Corridor Vc motorway, Bosnia and Herzegovina[36]

Municipal Infrastructure

• Belgrade incinerator, Serbia

Agrobussiness

• Myronivsky Hliboproduct (MHP), Ukraine[37]

Extractive Industries

• Kumtor Gold Mine, Kyrgyzstan[38]

Member Group Organizations

• Bulgaria, Centre for Environmental Information and Education
• Bulgaria, Za Zemiata
• Croatia, Zelena Akcia
• Czech Republic, Hnutí Duha
• Czech Republic, Centre For Transport And Energy
• Estonia, Estonian Green Movement
• Georgia, Green Alternative
• Hungary, National Society of Conservationists - Friends of the Earth Hungary
• Latvia, Green Liberty
• Lithuania, Atgaja
• Macedonia, Eko-svest
• Poland, Polish Green Network (Polska Zielona Siec)
• Russia, Sakhalin Environmental Watch
• Serbia, Center for Ecology and Sustainable Development
• Slovakia, Friends of the Earth - CEPA
• Ukraine, Ecoaction (Екодія)
• Ukraine, National Ecological Centre of Ukraine

References

1. "Home". Green 10. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
2. "Central and Eastern Europe Bankwatch Network". citizensforeurope.eu. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
3. "CEE Bankwatch Network". devex.com. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
4. "EU's Lending Arm Plans to Phase Out Fossil-Fuel Funding". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
5. "European Investment Bank: the EU's hidden giant". Financial Times. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
6. "NGOs For Sale" (PDF). euracoal2.org. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
7. http://www.balkaneu.com/balkan-rivers-are-crying-for-help/
8. http://glacierhub.org/2016/04/20/mining-company-shirks-blame-for-glacier-damage-in-kyrgyzstan/
9. "Romania keeps giving state aid to coal even as it holds EU presidency". www.euractive.com. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
10. "China expands coal power interests in Bosnia and Herzegovina". The Ecologist. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
11. "Southern Gas Corridor 'More Emittive than Coal': Study". www.naturalgasworld.com. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
12. Kochladze, Manana (2017-11-24). "Europe's murky Eastern energy deals". euractiv.com. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
13. "New Balkan Coal Plants 'Will Pollute Environment'". Balkan Insight. 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
14. "Environmentalists Call For EU Action On Western Balkans' 'Chronic Coal Pollution'". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
15. Ciuta, Ioana (2017-06-26). "Western Balkans holds breath for better air quality". euractiv.com. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
16. "Dans les Balkans, une vie sous le charbon". Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 2019-08-22.
17. "Air pollution caused 136 premature deaths in Tuzla in 2018". Balkan Green Energy News. 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
18. "Energy Community says guarantee for Tuzla coal-fired power plant breaches state aid regulations". www.intellinews.com. 2019-03-05. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
19. "More Coal Doesn't Mean More Jobs for the Balkans". Balkan Insight. 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
20. "EIB, EBRD agree loans for Slovenian coal power plant". Reuters. 2013-03-08. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
21. "Stanari power plant in Bosnia allowed to pollute 2-10 times higher than EU limits, new expert analysis shows". SEENET. 2013-11-25. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
22. "200 million euro EBRD loan to Serbian energy giant EPS under investigation". European Western Balkans. 2018-10-02. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
23. "EU-backed energy projects will harm people and the environment in the Western Balkans". WWF. 2013-10-30. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
24. "EBRD - eyes wide shut to coal sector corruption". The Ecologist. 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
25. "200 million euro EBRD loan to Serbian energy giant EPS under investigation". European Western Balkans. 2018-10-02. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
26. "Kosova e Re power purchase agreement challenged at Energy Community". Balkan Green Energy News. 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
27. "After Slovenia's Sostanj coal power plant debacle, is any bank going to finance Croatia's Plomin C?". ESIASEE. 2015-08-25. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
28. "Court blocks hydropower project Boškov most". Balkan Green Energy News. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
29. "Construction of HPP Buk Bijela on Drina river starts in 2018". Balkan Green Energy News. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
30. "Court cancels environmental permit for Buk Bijela hydropower plant". Balkan Green Energy News. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
31. "Court complaints launched against Bosnia-Herzegovina hydropower permits". Serbia Energy Magazine. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
32. "Speaking to IFIs may be only way for environmental activists to convey message to right address". Balkan Green Energy News. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
33. Harris, Chris (2018-06-08). "EU spends €274m to 'breach its own environmental laws'". euronews. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
34. "Georgia: Tbilisi Offers Companies Forgiveness for Environmental Sins". Eurasianet. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
35. "Secrecy of VW fraud report 'unacceptable', says MEP". EUobserver. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
36. "EBRD finances next step of Corridor Vc with €210 million". www.ebrd.com. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
37. Livingstone, Emmet (2019-04-30). "Feathers fly in Europe's battle with Ukrainian chicken boss". POLITICO. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
38. Satke, Ryskeldi. "Conflict continues at Kyrgyzstan's massive gold mine". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2019-09-04.