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Výzva občanských iniciativ Evropské investiční bance (EIB) u příležitosti jejího výročního zasedání v týdnu od 2.6.2003Zasedání bude doprovázeno akcemi CEE Bankwatch Network a Friends of the Earth International. EIB u nás poskytuje půjčky mj. na výstavbu dálnice D8 přes České středohoří a Přírodní park Východní Krušné hory. Za členství v ní (v souvislosti se vstupem do EU) zaplatí ČR cca 7 mld. Kč. Banka, jejiz cinnost je "kryta" penězi danovych poplatniku clenskych statu EU, ma naprosto zoufalou informační či spíše neinformační politiku. Pokud chcete mít v budoucnu lepší možnosti být informováni o jejím rozhodování, podpořte prosím níže uvedenou výzvu. S cílem dosáhnout reformy EIB, kterou NNO v čele s CEE Bankwatch Network prohlásily za největší a nejméně transparentní rozvojovou banku na světě, jsou vyvíjeny i další aktivity, její informační politika byla však na tento rok vybrána jako prioritní téma kampaně.
Ngo Call to EIB Governors and President
Maystadt for Substantial Changes in Information Policy: More Transparency is
Essential Luxembourg, 3rd June 2003
We, the
undersigned non-governmental organizations call on the Governors of the European
Investment Bank, led by its President, Philippe Maystadt, to undertake
greater efforts in fostering timely and adequate access to information on
bank's operations for affected communities and general public. The EIB's
latest attempt at an information policy is the revision released in
October 2002. The bank's initiative was welcomed as an important step for
dialogue with civil society on how to further improve EIB information policy.
As a final outcome of the revision process, NGO find the document
unsatisfactory. Today, neither communities that are being adversely affected
by EIB projects nor the general public have the kind of real access to
information needed to protect their interests. The
wording of the Information Policy is filled with "non-committal
phrases" --promising to release information "whenever
possible" and "as early as feasible". These limitations, which are left to
the complete discretion of the EIB, do not provide a solid ground for
affected or interested people to obtain needed information. Moreover, the EIB
still gives far too much influence to project promoters (private or public
clients of the EIB) to decide if information about the project for which they
sought financing will be
publicly released or not. That approach undermines the basic "right to
know" of affected citizens, and is unacceptable in the 21st century for
a major public institution like the EIB. Therefore
we call on the Governors of the EIB, under the leadership of its President,
Philippe Maystadt, to undertake immediate steps to ensure greater
transparency. Key documents about projects must be made available in a timely
way and in adequate languages to allow for proper consultations with the
affected public and communities. Specifically we ask that for all projects it
is considering financing: The EIB
ensures that affected communities, particularly indigenous peoples and other
vulnerable minorities, as well as other interested parties are adequately and
freely informed and consulted before the approval and throughout the life of
their projects. ?
All relevant documents be made public at least 60 days before
consultations, both in English and in locally appropriate language(s) and
accessible to all stakeholders. ? The EIB support only projects that enjoy the
demonstrable free and prior informed consent of all affected communities. Recognizing
the added value that interested and well-informed members of the public,
particularly locally affected people and non-governmental organizations in
the host country, can bring to the environmental, social, cultural and
economic impact assessment and monitoring processes, we ask that: All EIB
social, environmental and anti-corruption policies and procedures be made
public in each country of operation. Transparency of bank's internal
procedures will be ensured. More
detailed we ask for the following: PROJECTS
UNDER PREPARATION Releasing
of documents for projects in pipeline: The EIB
Information Policy should define a time period of minimum 120 days prior to Board
decision for releasing project related information. The current "as
early as feasible in the project cycle" wording allows for a very broad
interpretation. Practice shows also that many projects enter the EIB's web
site only after or very shortly before Board's approval. Disclosure
after a decision has been taken does not foster ownership and cannot be
expected to satisfy public demands to participate in project decisions.
Meaningful participation requires access to information on all projects that
are still in the deliberative process. Applying
confidentiality for releasing information on projects in pipeline. We demand
that all projects under consideration be included into the Project Pipeline.
Under current procedures, project information will not occur in the pipeline
if "project promoter (or other business partners where
appropriate)" oppose inclusion contradicts the goal of participation and
partnership. Our rough estimation shows that only about 1/3 of the projects
appear in the project pipeline. All
environmental, social and human rights impact assessments, debt impact
analyses, construction agreements and all other project-related information
that is relevant to informing people as to the project's risks should be
disclosed. Type of
information which could be treated as confidential on commercial/market
ground should be clearly defined and described. A full catalogue of project
related documents, including documents the EIB intends to keep confidential
should be disclosed. Project
Information Document: The EIB
should prepare and publicly release for each of its projects a Project
Information Document. This document should contain the basic information
about the project, the recipient and the contractor. It should contain a
brief description of the project with data on full cost as well as amount
envisaged from the EIB. If environmental or social concerns arise as
indicated by the screening of the project - the document should provide
results of environmental and social screening and, if applicable, how the
potentially harmful results of the project will be addressed. The document
should initially be 5-10 pages in length and should be available from the
moment the EIB considers the project. It should be updated as the project
develops and should include a list of Factual Technical Documents, such as
economic analyses, feasibility studies, or other detailed project
information, that is updated as well throughout project preparation The
Project Information Document should also include expected date of Board
Decision; estimated date of signing the loan agreement; contact details of
the implementing agency and of the person at the bank responsible for the
project. The
Environmental Aspect section should also include the stage of the EIA process
and the results of public consultation when it is conducted. The section
should also provide information outlining where it is possible to obtain EIA. The
section on Social Impacts should outline the impacts of the proposed project
on individuals and communities expected to be affected, as well as measures
considered for mitigating
resettlement and compensation problems, prospects for employment, project
consequences on gender relations, as well as the strategy
for soliciting public input and making public the results
of public consultation. Global
Loans: Deliberative processes for the approval of global loans must be
considered as "projects in the pipeline" disclosed just like other
projects. Information must include the implementing agency, conditions
attached to the global loan, and the agency's sectoral spending priorities.
Possible environmental and social impacts of global loans should be addressed
in the information disclosure documents. Intermediary banks receiving global
loans should be obliged to follow the EIB's Information Policy as they make
use of EIB funds. Monthly
summary of bank's operations. The EIB
should meet the minimum mandatory standards of other International Financial Institutions
and publish a monthly summary of its operations, providing details of the
name and location of all projects being considered for support, including the
name of the applicant company, the size and type of planned support by the
EIB, the environmental and social assessment category of the project and the
planned dates for a decision on the application. This monthly summary should
include notice of any new application for project transactions. ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT ASSESSMENTS There is
a considerable overlap between the Information and Environmental Policies.
Therefore we include some key demands relating to the release of a
project's Environment Information. Releasing
Environmental Impacts Assessments prior the Board Approval The EIB
should adopt a clear policy that articulates the release of EIA and other
project-related environmental and social documentation prior to Board
Approval of a project. The
current practice, together with policies which allow the release of documents
and the start of public consultations to occur after Board Approval, creates
a perverse incentive to ignore the results of EIA and consultative processes
as the funding is already approved. As such the EIA process becomes
meaningless. All
relevant documents, including draft EIA report should be made public 60 days
prior public consultations, both in English and in locally appropriate
language(s), which are easily accessible to all stakeholders. The
release of a project's EIA, including results of public participation, should
be mandatory before approval by the EIB Board. TRANSPARENCY
OF BANK INTERNAL PROCESSES The EIB
should follow the best practice of other International Financial Institutions
and increase the transparency of its procedures and internal evaluations. For
that as a first step full Bank's Staff Directory with information on staff
responsibilities and contact should be released. The EIB
should provide the public with Board documents, such as the Board's work
plan, monthly calendars and agendas of Board's meetings, summaries of all
lending and policy discussions within the Board of Directors, and documents
discussed at the meetings. The EIB
should start to release information related to the implementation of
projects, including global loans, to start with mid-term project evaluations
and final evaluations of project sustainability. The EIB
should release evaluation materials related to lending operations, comparable
to that of other financial institutions. Recently, the World Bank has
committed itself to disclosing all "Implementation Completion
Reports" and "Project Performance Audit Reports" following
project completion. The Asian
Development Bank also releases its "Project Completion Reports." |
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