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The Neretva in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The fate of many Balkan rivers depends on enviornmental standards of financiers. As so often: follow the money to find the bug. © A. Vorauer

As a result of public resistance to small-scale hydropower projects in the Balkans, and in consequence to the milestone bank summit between the financial sector and green activists on March 1st, the EBRD is considerably tightening its standards: the bank will ask commercial banks to refer all high-risk projects – including all hydropower plants – for additional checks, starting with 2020.

© Tomislav Knapić

How come that a destructive project like that is being approved within a protected area? How can it be that a project within a protected area even receives funding? How is it possible that the funding comes from a European public development bank, the EBRD? Read how that happens in this Bankwatch webstory...

A hill with a water pipe of the Ternove hydropower project. They show how the construction is completely inadequate to avoid landslides. © Petr Hlobil

HPPs are popping up in Albania like bunkers in Hoxha’s time – with little regard for people and nature, just like in the “old days”. Only that it is not Hoxha, but the EBRD and other international donors financing the loss of nature and livelihoods, while priding themselves with their alleged environmental standards. Read Bankwatch’s blog post...

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