CEE Bankwatch Network

EU Legislative Interests

We monitor the activities of the international financial institutions (IFIs) which operate in the region and the spending of Cohesion, Recovery and Just Transition Funds in CEE, and propose constructive alternatives to IFI and EU policies and projects in the region. Bankwatch is working to prevent negative environmental and social impacts of IFI or EU financed projects, and promotes public participation and access to information about IFI activities and European cohesion policy across our region. At EU level, Bankwatch is active on the various EU funding schemes that relate to the energy and environmental transition, such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Cohesion policy funds (such as the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund regulation and the Just Transition Fund), the Modernisation Fund, the InvestEU programme, the Connecting Europe Facility, Western Balkans Investment Framework and Ukraine Reconstruction Facility. Bankwatch works with EU institutions regarding the implementation of recovery and resilience plans, the programming of the EU funds, as well as the update of national strategies (such as the National Energy and Climate Plans) by Member States and their assessment by the European Commission. In its work relating to the EIB, Bankwatch influences and interacts with EU institutions regarding the various policy guidelines of the Bank such as the revision of climate energy and transport policies. Bankwatch aims to inform the decision makers on next MFF on the successful practices and bottlenecks with energy transformation and biodiversity financing, as well about just transition impact in the regions affected by industrial transition. We also collect information and feedback from the local actors and activists on the Green Deal objectives uptake. Bankwatch works also on the transposition, implementation and monitoring of various files such as the Energy Union Governance Regulation, the Air Quality Directive, the National Emission Ceiling Directive, Industrial Emissions Directive and Large Combustion Plants Directive, also in relation to the Energy Community Treaty, the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment and the Aarhus Convention and other EU environmental legislation (Birds and Habitats Directives, Water Framework Directive).

Communication Activities

Bankwatch regularly publishes results of its monitoring activities, as well as policy briefings developped to inform the various processes.

Interests Represented

Does not represent commercial interests

Member Of

GREEN 10. www.green10.org The Green 10 are ten of the largest European environmental organisations/networks. They coordinate joint responses and recommendations to EU decision makers. Membership of the Green 10 alone is more than 20 million people. Counter Balance www.counterbalance-eib.org/ Counter Balance is a European coalition of development and environmental non-governmental organisations, formed in 2007 to specifically challenge the European Investment Bank. Counter Balance's mission is to make the EIB an open and progressive institution delivering on EU development goals and promoting sustainable development to empower people affected by its work. Counter Balance includes members from: · Central and Eastern Europe: CEE Bankwatch Network · France: les Amis de la Terre · Germany: urgewald and WEED · Italy: Re:Common · Netherlands: BothEnds · United Kingdom: Bretton Woods Project Euro-IFIs

Organisation Members

Albania: EDEN center / Friends of the Earth Albania, https://www.foei.org/member-groups/albania/ Bosnia and Herzegovina: Center for Environment https://czzs.org/?lang=en Bulgaria: For the Earth! (Za Zemiata!) www.zazemiata.org(1), Croatia: Green Action, http://zelena-akcija.hr/(1), Czech Republic: Centre for Transport and Energy (CDE) www.cde.ecn.cz(1), Czech Republic: Hnuti DUHA www.hnutiduha.cz(1), Estonia: Estonian Green Movement-FoE (ERL) www.roheline.ee(1), Georgia: Green Alternative www.greenalt.org(1), Hungary: National Society of Conservationists - Friends of the Earth H(1), Latvia:Green Liberty https://www.zalabriviba.lv/en/(1), Lithuania: Circular Economy https://zerowasteeurope.eu/member/ziedine-ekonomika/ Macedonia: Eco - sense www.ekosvest.com.mk/home_eng.html(1), Poland: Polish Green Network www.zielonasiec.pl(1), Slovak Republic: Friends of the Earth - www.priateliazeme.sk/cepa(1), Ukraine: National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU) www.necu.org.ua(1), Ecoaction to Kyiv, https://en.ecoaction.org.ua/ (1) Russia: Sakhalin Environment Watch, http://www.sakhalin.environment.ru(1), Lituania: Atgaja(1)

Additional Information

More details on our income sources in 2024 is available in our annual report at www.bankwatch.org. The annual report for 2025 will be published in May 2026. The source and funding from EU programme in current financial year include only the size of the signed contracts with EU programme as of March 4th 2026.