The Bankwatch Podcast

In this anniversary episode, we celebrate 30 years of Bankwatch – a network founded in 1995 to push for public investments that truly benefit people and the environment in central and eastern Europe.   Fidanka Bacheva-McGrath, Mark Martin and Petr Hlobil look back at the early days and what inspired them to become Bankwatchers, the challenges they’ve faced and the impact the network has had over the decades. They also explore today’s pressing issues, from shrinking civic space to the need for sustainable and inclusive solutions.   Tune in to hear their reflections on Bankwatch’s journey to date, the lessons they’ve learned, and their hopes for the future. 

Miskolc, a city in northeastern Hungary, has already made huge strides towards decarbonisation. Now, with the help of the Friends of the Earth Hungary, the city is developing various community energy projects to build on this momentum. In the latest episode of our ‘decarbonisation roadmap’ podcast series, we speak with our just transition campaigner, Alexa Botar, about Miskolc’s community energy potential. 

Tsarkva, a neighbourhood in the just transition city of Pernik, Bulgaria, has a unique opportunity to realise the full potential of renewable energy for heating and cooling. In the latest episode of our ‘decarbonisation roadmap’ podcast series, we speak with our just transition campaigner, Ventzeslava Kojouharova, about the most viable solutions and how Pernik can lead Bulgaria’s decarbonisation journey.    

Ida-Virumaa, Estonia’s just transition region, is in a unique position to embrace community energy and become a pioneer in the field. But is the region realising its potential? Listen to our latest podcast episode of ‘decarbonisation roadmap’ series as we discuss the challenges of community energy development and how they can be overcome with Kertu Laherand, our just transition campaigner from the Estonian Green Movement.  

How can municipalities in just transition regions ramp up their decarbonisation efforts? With the help of Dan Dobre – our just transition campaigner and the author of a report comparing municipal decarbonisation strategies in nine central and eastern European just transition regions we discuss the challenges and opportunities for these communities. Listen to our first podcast episode in the ‘Decarbonisation roadmap’ series.

Three years after Russia's invasion, we examine Ukraine's reconstruction roadmap through its Single Project Pipeline, exploring how $486 billion in recovery funds will shape the nation's future.

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. 

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 Green Network), discuss a recent report they co-authored, that revealed that the Romanian and Polish governments have together earmarked nearly EUR 4 billion from various EU funds for a raft of fossil gas projects that threaten to derail the energy transition in the two countries.

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 our civil society partners working in the region. Activists from Central Asia share their concerns about human rights and gender equality in Kyrgyzstan, the EBRD’s approach to human rights due diligence in Uzbekistan, the challenges faced by the LBGTIQ community in Central Asia, and more. 

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 of the Estonian Green Movement discuss the implications of this rash approach and what the latest developments mean for the Baltic energy transition.  They say the focus of the Lithuanian, Estonian, Latvian and Finnish governments should be on enhancing regional cooperation. The actual priority should be to accelerate the energy transition with a view to ending dependence on fossil gas altogether.

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. Our experts also provide recommendations on how we can more effectively use EU funds for nature conservation and restoration.    For more, see our report: Biodiversity on the brink: What's holding back financing for nature in the EU? - Bankwatch  This publication was produced in collaboration with EuroNatur under the framework of joint research and advocacy work financed by EURENI.