Looking back at 2023: Bankwatch highlights and achievements

In December 2024, the Bern Convention set a new target for expanding the Emerald Network. The purpose of the network is to preserve endangered species and habitats throughout Europe by designating and managing protected areas called Emerald sites.   However, widening the network in some areas has proved challenging. For example, important river stretches, especially in the Western Balkans, are still not protected.   In this episode, Andrey Ralev and Friedrich Wulf discuss the challenges and opportunities for nature protection in different parts of Europe.

Our latest podcast episode explores the future of the just transition in the EU. Is the just transition a priority for the new European Commission? What’s next for the Just Transition Fund? These and more questions will be answered by our guests Miłosława Stępień, just transition coordinator at CEE Bankwatch Network, and Mags Bird, senior policy officer for the just transition at the WWF European Policy Office.  

Gender-based violence and harassment on public transport is a serious but under-researched issue. In cities such as Tbilisi, Sarajevo and Belgrade, overcrowding and inefficient transport systems increase the vulnerability of women and gender minorities.  In this podcast episode, we bring together experts and civil society members from our recent webinar to discuss the challenges and propose solutions for tackling gender-based violence on public transport. 

Over the past decades, Bankwatch with its civil society partners have been monitoring the development projects financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Our experience has shown that the Bank’s existing approach to human rights due diligence does not effectively prevent human rights violations.   As the Bank is revising its good governance policies, it has a unique opportunity to change this and lead the way in improving human rights due diligence among development banks. In this episode, Nina Lesikhina (CEE Bankwatch Network), Mark Fodor (Defenders in Development) and Megan Pearson (Accountability Counsel) share their insights about what is wrong with the EBRD policies and what needs to change. 

This episode explores the crucial role young people play in the just transition. Listen to our guests, Luisa Marchionni, project manager at Startup Europe Regions Network, and Joanna Jakubowska, just transition policy officer at CEE Bankwatch Network, share their valuable insights on the EuTeens4Green initiative. They discuss how young people can get involved in decision-making processes, especially when it comes to the just transition and cohesion policy. 

Last month, Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine entered its third year. Since February 2022, Bankwatch and our civil society partners in Ukraine have been closely monitoring the country’s remarkable resilience in facing the challenges of war while trying to meet its immediate reconstruction needs.  How have reconstruction efforts advanced over the past two years? And is Ukraine’s recovery green and participatory enough? 

In our first episode of 2024, we shift the focus from our campaigns and projects to the bigger questions that will frame the work of Bankwatch, our civil society partners from Central Europe to Central Asia, and the field of international public finance in the coming year and beyond.   It’s a big year ahead for our 5 main areas: energy transformation and EU funds, the fossil fuel phase-out, democratisation and human rights, biodiversity and finance, and cities for people.   So what can we expect in 2024? Bankwatch’s strategic area leaders share their predictions! 

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 Jakubowska shares her views on the just transition, and Anna Roggenbuck dissects the European Investment Bank’s problematic approach to transparency and public participation.

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 liveable, just and accessible?   In this episode, Fidanka Bacheva-McGrath and Saša Jovanovic (Bankwatch) discuss international public investments in cities from eastern Europe to Central Asia, focusing on recent transformations, challenges and opportunities in the urban transport and waste sectors. Bermet Borubaeva, a researcher and activist in Kyrgyzstan, shares her insights about the issues with Bishkek landfill. 

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 abuses and reprisals against activists, the EBRD must do much more to prevent harm and reduce demand.  Read about the problematic mining cases that Bankwatch has monitored in the past: Amulsar gold mine, Adriatic metals, Oyu Tolgoi.