Eurodad has signed on to an open letter sent by Counter Balance to Werner Hoyer, President of the EIB, as well as a joint statement on Human Rights with our partners. Both papers highlight the urgency for the EIB Management and Shareholders to drastically amend the draft proposals from the EIB in order for the bank to become a more responsible lender. 

Concretely, we make the following recommendations:

1. The Environmental, Social and Human Rights Policy should commit the EIB to develop a human rights strategy and action plan, as was previously done for gender
2. The Policy should describe how the EIB will conduct Human Rights Due Diligence, and require a Human Rights Impact Assessment at project level for all projects where human rights risks have been identified by the Bank.
3. Enhancing stakeholder engagement and public participation
4. The Policy should include a strong statement against reprisals and commit the EIB to develop specific policies and protocols on Human Rights Defenders to ensure their full information and participation, prevent and respond to risks of reprisals
5. The EIB needs to have more human rights experts on staff and reinforce its presence in its countries of operation. The EIB should also secure the financial means to access external expertise (including local expertise).

Download the joint civil society statement

Download the joint letter to President Hoyer