According to Rubin, there were about 15 to 20 representatives of NGOs from Central and Eastern Europe, plus a big delegation from the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic that wanted to kill a World Bank project which proposes to double the amount of trees that are harvested in the Slovak Republic.

Lutz Ribbe of Euronature met with executive directors and other staff of the World Bank during its AGM in Madrid from 4 to 6 October. He says that he and his colleagues from other countries "made good contacts and had good discussion with Bank staff."

Ribbe is trying to convince the World Bank to change its development policies. Right now, he says, the World Bank tries to develop countries through capital-intensive megaprojects. Instead, he thinks the Bank should focus on smaller projects that fit the social and environmental needs of countries.

According to Ribbe, "The European Union uses the World Bank to finance its projects." As an example, he cites the EU's plan for a Berlin-Moscow highway. Of course, the countries through which such a highway would pass do not have the money to build it. That is why the EU has asked the World Bank to finance the project. Ribbe and others believe that the Bank could do much better if it devoted funds to developing local infrastrucutures, such as developing urban public transport systems instead of private highways.

Euronature monitors the World Bank and is always looking for more partners in Central and Eastern Europe. It encourages CEE NGOs to send letters and other contributions to its newsletter, The World Bank and the Environment. Euronature is also eager to connect Central and Eastern European NGOs with American NGOs, such as the Sierra Club which has been quite successful in its work with the World Bank.