Possible bad start for the EBRD in the Arab world
The European Bank voor Reconstruction and Development wants to provide $40 million to a Kuwaiti company that is going to start doing oil drilling in Egypt. Huub Scheele from Both ENDS together with Egyptian NGOs urges the EBRD to postpone the decision, as the money is not going to contribute to any positive changes for the Egyptian people.
What is actually the problem?
The EBRD is providing a $40 million loan to a project in Egypt. The EBRD was founded in 1990 to assist the countries of the Eastern Bloc after the fall of the Berlin wall in their transition to democracy and free market economiesm, along with a responsible environmental policy. After the Arab Spring the EBRD was instructed by the G8 invest billions in project in the Arab world to also assist these countries in their democratic transition. The Kuwait Energy company therefore now wants to use $40 million for oil drilling in Egypt. According to the EBRD the money will be invested in the reduction of flaring (the burning of harmful gases released during drilling) to contribute to the environment.
“If you read the official documents there is no mentioning of these promises. There are no concrete new agreements that guarantee the reduction of flaring,” says Huub. “Also it remains an open question whether the EBRD money is of any added value to the project. The project already started in December 2012 and is already receiving money from other institutions, such as the World Bank. Personally I don’t think the EBRD money will add something to the project, also because it is still unclear whether the environmental objectives can be met.”
What can we do about it?
“The EBRD should not lend money to this project. On Wednesday the EBRD board, existing of governors from all 64 member states, will decide about the loan. Both ENDS has together with Egyptian NGOs asked for postponement of the decision. We think the EBRD should take a closer look to the project and we expect this to lead to cancellation of the loan,” explains Huub. Both ENDS has also sent letters to the Dutch governor in London and the Dutch Ministry of Finance, hoping that the Netherlands will declare its support in favour of postponement of the decision in the EBRD meeting. Huub does no dare to say whether they will succeed. “The EBRD is under a lot of pressure due to the instructions of the G8. They have to invest a lot of money in the Arab Spring countries. They simply have to ‘stow their money’, but this way it is not going to contribute to the democratic development of Egypt nor to a better environment.
What is the alternative?
“The EBRD should invest the money in projects that contribute to employment and sustainable development in the long run. Instead of lending money to companies that make money by extra oil drilling the EBRD should invest in projects related to renewable energy, such as solar energy or credits for small and medium businesses. This way, employment increases, at the same time offering a much more reliable guarantee that the projects will actually contribute to a better environment. EBRD should invest in a sustainable future: something that really helps the Egyptian people.”
Read the document written by Both ENDS and its European and Egyptian partners after the annual EBRD meeting that took place in Istanbul two weeks ago.
Read more about this subject
-
News / 10 July 2025
Both ENDS and Global Witness condemn harassment of anti-reclamation activists in Manila Bay
Global Witness and Both ENDS strongly condemn the reported of harassment and surveillance by the Armed Forces of the Philippines of environmental activists and fishing communities in Navotas, Philippines. Pamalakaya-Pilipinas, a National Federation of Small Fisherfolk Organisation in the Philippines, has received credible reports that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are engaged in “red-tagging” their members.
-
News / 10 July 2025
Shell's Silent Exit: Evading Accountability in the Niger Delta
Following Both ENDS & Kebekatche Women Development & Research Centre participation in Shell’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and a formal follow-up in writing, the response received from Shell plc raises more questions than it answers.
-
News / 2 July 2025
-
Blog / 2 July 2025
Women at the frontlines of climate action: local power for global change
By Tamara MohrLast week, GAGGA, the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action, with Both ENDS as one of the Alliance members, together with FCAM and Mama Cash, organised its Global Meeting in Indonesia. The goal of this meeting was to recognise, celebrate and look ahead at cross-movement and cross-regional connections, to strengthen the collective power of gender, climate and environmental justice movements.
-
Publication / 1 July 2025
-
News / 24 June 2025
Indigenous communities in Panama obtain recognition and partial mitigation measures by Development Banks FMO and DEG in relation to the Barro Blanco dam
Both ENDS and SOMO welcome the signing of the agreement of understanding between four Indigenous Ngäbe communities in Panama and the European development banks FMO and DEG on June 17th 2025. The arrangement includes a community development program that, together with a public statement issued by the banks, aims to recognize and mitigate some of the negative impacts caused by the Barro Blanco hydropower dam. We wish to congratulate the community-based organisation Movimiento 10 de Abril (M10) for its perseverance to seek justice for the affected communities, and we acknowledge the commitment of FMO and DEG to pursue a solution to their long-standing dispute with the communities arising from their partial financing of the hydropower project since 2011.
-
News / 23 June 2025
Who benefits from better protection of our oceans?
The ocean emerged strengthened from the UN Ocean Conference in Nice. More countries are supporting a ban on deep-sea mining, more marine protected areas are being established, and more pledges are being made to fight pollution. The question now is whether countries will follow through on their commitments. Because the ocean movement faces a camp of powerful interests.
This article was originally posted in Dutch on MO*Magazine.
-
article / 13 June 2025
-
News / 6 June 2025
Both ENDS at the UN Ocean Conference: voicing our environmental justice concerns about the “Blue Economy”
Next week, the United Nations Ocean Conference will take place in Nice, France. This conference is focused on the conservation and sustainable use of coasts, seas and marine resources. Both ENDS colleague Murtah Shannon will be attending. We’ve asked him to explain a bit more about his plans.
-
News / 5 June 2025
Op-ed: New trading partners, but not on the same terms
Since President Trump's trade war and tariffs, international trade has once again been thrust into the spotlight. In Europe and the Netherlands, there are growing calls for new free trade agreements to be concluded as quickly as possible, as reflected in recent opinions in FD and de Volkskrant. But that is the wrong reflex, writes our colleague Marius Troost.
-
News / 4 June 2025
Demanding Shell’s Accountability for decades of pollution in Niger Delta
Both ENDS and our Nigerian partner Kebetkache Women Development & Research Centre attended Shell’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), on May 20th, in London, to demand transparency and accountability for Shell Plc’s opaque divesment in the Niger Delta.
-
Blog / 3 June 2025
A food forest as an inspiring oasis between monoculture fields
Recently, we visited food forest Ketelbroek with a group of colleagues. This project was initiated by food forest pioneer Wouter van Eck and our own Pieter Jansen. What a beautiful place! Located between monocrop fields of ryegrass, beetroot and potatoes, the food forest is a green oasis. Birdsong fills the air and there is a constant buzz and fluttering all around. Hares, badgers, foxes and wild boars are regular visitors. And let's not forget the beavers.
-
News / 20 May 2025
Both ENDS and partners demand Shell to clean up the Niger Delta before divesting
At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Shell in London, community leaders from the Niger Delta and international allies, including Both ENDS, are confronting Shell with a clear demand: Shell must take full responsibility for decades of pollution and human suffering in Nigeria’s Niger Delta before divesting from its on-shore oil operations.
-
News / 9 May 2025
Women’s leadership in agroecology flourishes in Eastern and Southern Africa
On 12 and 13 February 2025, women from Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe gathered in Nairobi for the Africa Women Leaders in Agroecology (AWOLA) Regional Networking Forum. The event marked a significant moment in the leadership programme of PELUM Kenya, which empowers young women in their role as leaders in the agroecological transition. This project was made possible thanks to support from Both ENDS as part of the Fair, Green and Global (FGG) Alliance.
-
External link / 29 April 2025
-
Blog / 23 April 2025
The power of trust
Trust builds trust. That is what I have learned from how Both ENDS works - within our team, with partners in joint strategies and advocacy, and in our relationships with partners as a funder. Trust is the foundation. It is what allows compassion to grow, what gives rise to hope, and what fuels real solidarity. This is especially powerful in contrast to the prevailing global trend of political and international leaders who prioritize hard measures and self-interest, ignoring relations of trust. It is even more reason for us to share what we have experienced when we put trust first.
-
Letter / 15 April 2025
African civil society urges Oman against EACOP support as east Africa trade expo kicks off
Just one day before the Oman East Africa Trade and Investment
Expo opens in Muscat on April 16, over 70 civil society organisations (CSOs) from Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and beyond have published an open letter urging the Government of Oman to refrain from providing financial or diplomatic support for the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). -
Blog / 11 April 2025
FMO is very pleased with its own success – now the local population still needs to be
The FMO development bank is proud of its results and the opportunities it seizes where commercial banks fail to act. But do the bank's actions really help, ask Anne de Jonghe and Nick Middeldorp.
-
News / 7 April 2025
Food forest Ketelbroek: where food production and biodiversity come together
When Both ENDS-colleagues visit partners, they often go on a "field trip" to see how our joint work affects people and communities. This year, we did the same in the Netherlands. Food forestry pioneer Wouter van Eck demonstrates a group of Both ENDS partners how regenerative agriculture can offer solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises.
-
Publication / 1 April 2025