Action
Alert:
EIB lack of transparency
Bankwatch
web page on EIB
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Demand EIB Transparency!
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| NGO joint campaign "Transparency is Essential! at the EIB AGM, Luxembourg, June 3, 2003 |
On the occasion of the European Investment Bank's Annual General Meeting on June 3rd we call on the Governors of the EIB, led by its President, Philippe Maystadt, to undertake greater efforts to provide timely and adequate access to information on the bank's operations for affected communities and the general public.
The EIB still remains one of the most non-transparent public financial institutions in the world. 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 Bank's Information Policy is filled with "non-committal phrases" - promising to release information "whenever possible" and "as early as feasible". Moreover, the EIB still prioritises the project promoters' (private or public clients of the EIB) interests over affected citizens' interests. Clients can 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 thus unacceptable in the 21st century for a major public institution like the EIB.
Therefore more than 100 NGOs from all over the world are calling on the Governors of the EIB and bank 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. Project related information, especially environmental and social data, as well as information on the Bank's internal procedures must be publicly available.
We would like to ask you to support the call by sending a personal request to the EIB President, preferably in your native tongue. We have provided you with the copy of the NGO call sent to the EIB officials, however where possible we strongly recommend that you personalise it for maximum impact.
Please send your letter to the President Maystadt at: p.maystadt@eib.org
Thank you for your support,
the Bankwatch team
NGO
call to EIB Governors and President Maystadt for substential changes in
Information policy: more transparency is essential - (June 3, 2003)
file
Transparency
is Essential! campaign web page