Description
The Balkans are home to some of Europe’s last free-flowing rivers, providing vital habitats for endangered species and sustaining local livelihoods. However, these freshwater ecosystems face growing threats from hydropower development, road construction, mining, and other infrastructure projects. Despite being biodiversity hotspots, many rivers in the region remain under-protected, and enforcement of environmental laws is weak.
The project aims to ensure that public funds no longer support biodiversity-damaging infrastructure projects and that sufficient EU resources are directed toward river conservation and restoration. To achieve this, the project will combine legal advocacy, scientific research, and policy engagement to challenge destructive projects, influence financial institutions, and strengthen environmental governance.
Bankwatch and its partners, including local NGOs from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, will use legal tools and international conventions such as the Bern and Aarhus Conventions, the Energy Community Treaty, and EU environmental directives to halt harmful investments. At the same time, they will promote the inclusion of river ecosystems within the Emerald Network, advocate for the adoption and enforcement of EU nature and water directives in the Western Balkans, and increase the share of EU pre-accession funds dedicated to biodiversity.
This multidisciplinary approach builds on more than two decades of experience in exposing environmentally harmful financing and driving stronger safeguards within institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). By combining on-the-ground support for local communities with high-level policy and financial advocacy, BRACE will contribute to more responsible, transparent, and sustainable water management across the region.
