Balkan Rivers
Advocacy for Conservation of Ecosystems (BRACE)
Our goal is to prevent public money supporting river-damaging projects in the Mediterranean regions of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia. We also aim to ensure that sufficient EU funds are used for nature protection.
This project uses a proven blend of legal, scientific, finance, advocacy and communications approaches. It tackles plans for hydropower plants, motorways and mines to reduce the likely damage or, where not possible, prevent the projects going ahead.
To strengthen river protection, we advocate to speed up the full transposition and implementation of the EU Habitats, Birds and Water Framework Directives in the Western Balkans. We also advocate for the legal protection of nominated candidate Emerald sites under the Bern Convention and for the expansion of the Emerald Network with additional sites.
Projects we monitor
Our activities
Publications
- Expanding the Emerald Network: Progress and gaps in the Western Balkans – 15th meeting of the Bern Convention’s Group of Experts on Protected Areas and Ecological Networks, 7 to 8 October 2025, Bar, Montenegro
- Albania’s Skavica dam can’t get off the ground – time to finally cancel it! – The highly damaging hydropower project could hardly have had stronger political support at its inception, has stagnated, with no environmental permit and no financing.
- Inclusion of the Habitats, Birds and Water Framework Directives in the Energy Community Treaty: An urgent imperative – This briefing explains why the Birds Directive, Habitats Directive and Water Framework Directive need to be included in the Energy Community Treaty, in order to minimise the impact of energy generation and transmission on water and biodiversity and ensure a level playing field in the common energy market between the EU and the Energy Community countries.
The project benefits from the support of the Donors Initiative For Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems.
This page was produced with the financial assistance of the Donors Initiative For Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems. The contents of this page are solely the liability of CEE Bankwatch Network and under no circumstances may be considered as a reflection of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation or Donors Initiative For Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems’ position.
