Structures and Agents: Understanding Eco-Governance in Post-

communist Transitions Introduction Definitions and Interpretations Theorizing post-communist transformation Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and

environmental reform Case Studies: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline and Vlora

Energy Park. Conclusion

Introduction

Focus: Multilateral Development Banks and Civil Society Groups

Approach: Critical Political Economy (Antonio Gramsci and Karl Polanyi)

Argument: Incomplete concept of sustainable development and unilinear understanding of post-communist transition

Question: How can we theorize demo-eco-governance?

Implication(s): Theoretical and practical

Definitions and Interpretations Society-Nature as a subject-object relationship.

Environmental Governance: from interstate regimes to multilateral governance.

International Institute for Sustainable Development: the sum of organizations, policy instruments, rules, procedures and norms

Critical political economy: “…the broad range of political, economic and social structures that shape and constrain actors’ behaviour towards environment” (Levy and Newell, 2005)

“Global Environmental Governance […] is a fundamentally political process involving struggles over who has the authority and legitimacy to propose rules guiding the practices of states, TNCs, social movements and individuals, and who will benefit and lose out through the adoption of particular rules and their implementation.”(Paterson, Humphreys and Pettiford, 2003)

Theories of Post-communist Transition Known path towards liberal democracy and

market liberalization. The international aspect is approached in one

dimension: path-showing Theorized under the neo-liberal paradigm and the

conditionality of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) IFIs served as main sites of knowledge and expertise for

economic policy They lacked expertise for transforming centrally planned

economies to market economies.

Characterised by a teleological and unilinear nature.

The World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

(EBRD) and Environmental Reform

The World Bank, the first multilateral institution to include more civil society voices and focus on environmental projects

Pressured by NGOs and funding governments Internal criticism

Important agent for environmental governance (resources, expertise).

EBRD- a European Bank with similar Mission to the World Bank EBRD has a mandate and special interest on environmentally

sustainable economic growth The first multilateral development bank to have such mandate

Case StudiesBaku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline and Vlora Industrial and Energy Park

Transition Goals: sustained economic growth, improving business environment, improving trade, political stability, improving living standards, tackling poverty, improving governance.

Policies: Importance is placed on infrastructure, power and energy sectors and oil exports.

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline

Transports oil from Azerbaijan, crossing Georgia into a Mediterranean port in Turkey

BTC is 1760 kilometres, the longest of its kind

It can transport up to 1 million barrels of oil per day

Named as the “project of the century”

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan PipelineSource Baku Ceyhan Campaign, 2003

BTC Continued…. In Azerbaijan the pipeline crosses

twenty-one major rivers Impacts a sensitive desert

ecosystem Passes through unstable land with

high seismic activity In Georgia is crosses six major

rivers in areas prone to land slide including the national park of Borjomi

Some civil society groups raised concerns for corruption, non-consultation, the lack of transparency

Vlora Industrial and Energy Park EBRD to support only environmental and energy

efficient projects. Energy Park: to include a thermo-power plant, a

hydrocarbons storage, and an outlet for strategic Albania-Macedonia-Bulgaria (AMBO) Pipeline

Civil society denied referendum, concerned with lack of participation, and consultation during environmental impact assessment.

2007 Aarhus Convention finds Albanian government non-compliant

2008 Independent Resource Mechanism concludes that of EBRD failed to comply with its policies.

2009 Inspection Panel finds that World Bank did not comply with its own policies on project appraisal, environmental assessment, cultural property, management and economic assessment.

Conclusion and further questions

The pitfalls of MDBs’ ‘greening’ become apparent in power generation and resource extractive projects

Accountability mechanisms, accessible by civil society operate in a post hoc manner

These undemocratic form of governance are to be born by local communities and future generations