2023 was an eventful year for many of our campaigns. In this year-end episode, we review highlights and achievements in 4 different areas of our work at Bankwatch. Branka Španiček discusses the state of Europe’s rivers in the context of hydropower, Christophe Jost talks about the EU’s energy transition, in particular the REPowerEU plan, Joanna…

Climate change has a major impact on urban life, and cities are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. International investors are spending billions to help cities tackle environmental problems and adapt to the climate crisis. But are these investments really transformative for the people who live there? Are these billions also making cities more…

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is set to adopt a new mining strategy for 2024-2028. In a draft document, the Bank announced its intention to increase investments in the sector, as more critical raw materials are needed for the green transition. But given the mining industry’s appalling history of environmental pollution, human rights…

Just as the EU is working to end its dependence on Russian fossil gas imports, and the climate crisis is wreaking havoc throughout the world, some European governments are just as keen to channel billions of euros to cement the dependence on fossil gas. In this episode, Raluca Petcu (Bankwatch Romania) and Krzysztof Mrozek (Polish…

On 16-18 May 2023, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) held its Annual Meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This year, human rights violations, shrinking civic space and marginalisation of communities in Central Asia were particularly high on our agenda. In our new podcast episode dedicated to the EBRD Annual Meeting, we interview some of…

The scramble for fossil gas supplies to replace imports from Russia, triggered by the war in Ukraine, has driven governments in the Baltics to prioritise plans for liquified fossil gas – commonly known as LNG. But this LNG infrastructure spree is reckless.  In this episode, Liene Krauja of Green Liberty in Latvia and Johanna Kuld…

Listen to Katerina Rakovska, Bulgarian biodiversity campaigner, and Thomas Freisinger, EU policy officer at EuroNatur, talk with our host Michaela Kožmínová, Bankwatch communications officer. We discuss the main barriers and bottlenecks at the national level in central and eastern Europe that are preventing an increase in the quantity and quality of EU funds for biodiversity….

One year ago, Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To face the damages, Ukraine’s and international efforts to plan the reconstruction and rebuild the country, are underway. On 24 February 2023, we look back and evaluate the progress in Ukraine’s reconstruction planning throughout the past year. What worked well and what didn’t? And what…

Territorial Just Transition Plans should steer carbon-intensive regions towards climate neutrality while addressing social, economic and environmental issues and engaging stakeholders. After two years of planning and drafting the plans, Member States should be ready to implement them. In this episode, we explore the just transition in Bulgaria and Hungary with the help of our…

This winter, hundreds of millions of people in Europe are struggling to stay warm without the usual stream of Russian gas, which makes our over-dependence on this fossil fuel more apparent than ever. In fact, about 70 per cent of the energy used for the EU’s heating still comes from fossil fuels. What needs to…