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Leaked document: Czechia plans to spend EU just transition money on gas and subsidising corporations

The paperwork was reportedly filed to the Czech government October 12. It is meant to become the Czech submission to the European Commission, an indication of how the government plans to spend the Czech portion of the Just Transition Fund. 

Alexandru Mustata, CEE Bankwatch Network: “It is outrageous to see that money meant to be spent by coal communities on transforming their economies in a sustainable direction is going to large corporations, without real consultation of the affected people; and that’s it’s planned to be used on gas projects, instead of renewable energy sources. This is in total defiance of the original purpose of the Fund, and something which the Commission should adamantly reject.”

Czech civil society and local communities in coal regions have been mostly sidelined from the planning process so far: there is no meaningful engagement of local actors, while deadlines for submitting projects have been impossibly short. 

Zuzana Vondrová, Centre for Transport and Energy: “Civic participation must play a primary role in relieving the Czech Republic of its dependence on the coal industry. The plan for spending the JTF money must be prepared transparently and according to clearly defined criteria, such as sustainability, the rate of creation of quality jobs or the effects on quality of life. Not hearing out the needs of the coal regions and their citizens can result in projects which are a bad match for the regions, prolong their dependency on fossil fuels or benefit dubious actors.”

One of the most expensive projects planned in the leaked document is the replacement of boilers in the chemical plant Lovochemie for 6 billion CZK. The company is owned by Agrofert, the agricultural conglomerate on which prime minister Andrej Babiš reportedly built his fortune. 

The document also lists as beneficiaries large Czech corporations like majority state owned ČEZ, Unipetrol – controlled by the Polish government, or EPH holding – owned by billionaire Daniel Křetínský.

Complaint on Bosnia-Herzegovina dams on Neretva river submitted to the Bern Convention

The environmental groups Center for Environment, Aarhus Center Sarajevo, Riverwatch, EuroNatur, ClientEarth and CEE Bankwatch Network today submitted a complaint against Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats for failure to protect the pristine upper stretches of the river Neretva from eight planned hydropower projects.

The upper Neretva in one of the most pristine river ecosystems in the Balkans. It is a wilderness area with very little human interference so far. That is why it has been nominated as a candidate Emerald Site under the Convention since 2011, but is under threat from the 35 MW Ulog hydropower plant and a series of seven smaller plants known as the Upper Neretva Hydropower project. The plants would turn most of the upper part of the river – a stretch of around 30 km – into a series of end-to-end dams, pipes and reservoirs.

The submission to the Bern Convention follows a related complaint made by the groups earlier this year to the Energy Community Secretariat, highlighting serious flaws in the environmental permitting processes for the projects.

The environmental impact assessments carried out for the projects identified only a few of the species likely to occur near the site of the plants, but still concluded that the projects could go ahead. Despite the area being inadequately researched, rare species including bears, wolves, otters and crayfish, as well as a specific type of trout are known to find habitat here. 

In May, the Center for Environment also mounted a court challenge against a decision by the Republika Srpska Ministry for Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology, that no environmental impact assessment was needed for phase one of the Upper Neretva project.  The decision came despite the Republika Srpska Institute for the Protection of Cultural-Historical and Natural Heritage expressing its objection to the planned Upper Neretva project and stressing that rare, endemic and relict species would be affected by the plants. 

“The upper Neretva river is a natural jewel of the Balkans. With the surrounding pristine forests, it forms a wilderness area that is unparalleled in Europe. The dam projects would not only destroy this ecosystem, but Bosnia-Herzegovina would also violate ratified international agreements. That´s why we file these complaints,” says Ulrich Eichelmann, coordinator of the Save the Blue Heart of Europe campaign from Riverwatch.

“According to the research done so far, the area around the source and the upper course of the Neretva River has been confirmed to be an exceptionally intact ecosystem. These projects need to be stopped due to its exceptional value as no mitigation measures could preserve this area,” added Jelena Ivanic from the Center for Environment.

Background information

  • EFT’s 35 MW Ulog hydropower plant, with a 53 meter high dam and 2.7 km derivation tunnel is the furthest downstream of the planned plants. It is currently undergoing preliminary works, with China’s Sinohydro as the main contractor. Work on the plant started for the first time in 2013, but in July of that year, two fatal incidents took place and works stopped. On 4 July a worker from the Prijedorputevi company was killed by a rock breaking off a cliff face while building access roads. Only four days later on 8 July another worker from the same company was also killed by a rockslide, and another worker taken to hospital. After this, the works were put on hold while more research was done, but in 2017 the project was redesigned with the dam slightly further downstream.
  • The seven Upper Neretva hydropower plants are planned by Marvel d.o.o. upstream from the village of Ulog and would have a combined capacity of 15.1 MW. Despite the small generation capacity, one of the dams – Uloški Buk – would be 41-56 m tall (the environmental assessment is unclear).
  • The Save the Blue Heart of Europe campaign aims to protect the most valuable rivers in the Balkans from a dam tsunami of about 3,000 planned projects. The campaign is coordinated by the NGOs Riverwatch and EuroNatur and carried out together with partner organizations in the Balkan countries. The local Partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina are the Center for Environment and Aarhus Center Sarajevo. Find more information at https://balkanrivers.net/

Contacts

In the Balkans, virtual run reveals real problem of air pollution from coal power plants

**High quality photographs from the events will be available on 25 October 2020 from davor@bankwatch.org** Participants in the Lung Run (www.thelung.run) will be fitted with pollution exposure sensors to gather information about air-borne particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and nitrous oxides caused by exhaust gasses released near coal mine facilities.  While the race was originally planned around the perimeter of the Bitola coal power facility in Novaci, N Macedonia, the competition is now being held virtually due to government restrictions on organising sporting events.  Bitola is one of 16 coal power plants in the Western Balkans that together emit as much sulphur dioxide and dust pollution as the entire fleet of coal plants in the European Union. In 2016, these 16 plants were responsible for an estimated 3 900 premature deaths and 8 000 cases of bronchitis in children and other chronic illnesses. But the extent of the problem is not well known because little official information is produced or reported. Governments do not regularly monitor pollution levels, and in cases where monitoring is done, little to no information is made available to the public.  The Lung Run will address this gap both by collecting air pollution data and as well using the registration fees to purchase pollution sensors for the Novaci municipality. Self exposure monitoring devices will also be distributed to runners and used to track pollution in Croatia and Romania and as well in the northern Bohemian mining region of Czechia. Ioana Ciuta, energy co-ordinator for CEE Bankwatch Network and Lung Run co-organiser, said, “Nowhere in the world is safe from air pollution as long as there is coal power. The Western Balkans stand out in every global measure of dust and sulphur dioxide emissions. Not only are the countries not making efforts to reduce these harmful pollutants, but two – Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina – are actively pushing for more coal units. Better awareness about the scale of the problem and pressure from various stakeholders are two things that can prevent the region’s stifling coal addiction.” Davor Pehchevski, Balkan air pollution campaign co-ordinator for CEE Bankwatch Network and Lung Run co-organiser, said, “Living near a coal power plant means living in pollution. It is imperative that locals know exactly what they are breathing. It is their right to know. A permanent solution to lack of awareness is needed, which is why we’re donating sensors from  this race to Novaci.” For more information contact  Davor Pehchevski Balkan air pollution campaign co-ordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network Email: davor@bankwatch.org Mobile: +389 71 264 087 Ioana Ciuta Energy co-ordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network Email: ioana.ciuta@bankwatch.org Mobile: +40 724 020 281

Eastern Europe climate plans struggle to keep pace with EU’s green ambitions

NECPs include the specific policies, measures and investments that each Member State will follow to reach the 2030 climate and energy objectives of the EU. Yet with the Commission upping its proposed emissions reduction target from 40 to 55 per cent, and the European Parliament voting on Tuesday 6 October for as much as a 60 per cent reduction, eastern Member States are woefully underprepared in their climate plans to fulfill EU pledges.

A Bankwatch report from July [2] documented the ways in which both Member States and the Commission could focus scant pandemic recovery funds in the post 2020 EU budget to build on the few positive investments present in the NECPs at the time. Whilst the Commission assessment today is a step towards identifying these positives, it had already concluded in September [3] that eastern Europe’s plans are unambitious and do not involve citizens enough. 

Raphael Hanoteaux, EU funds policy officer for CEE Bankwatch Network, said “These plans are not fit for purpose, and the Commission knows it. We are not on track to hit the updated 2030 target, meaning the NECPs cannot close on the European Green Deal.”

“Now the only way to effectively reach the 2030 and 2050 targets is by focusing on a green recovery and having an ambitious post 2020 EU budget. Business as usual will mean a lost decade for the climate.” 

For more information contact 

Raphael Hanoteaux, EU funds policy officer
CEE Bankwatch Network
E-mail: raphaelh@bankwatch.org

Notes 

[1] https://ec.europa.eu/energy/content/individual-assessments-and-summaries_en
[2] https://bankwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EU-FUNDS-FOR-A-GREEN-RECOVERY-report-_July-2020.pdf
[3] https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/commission-publishes-assessment-national-energy-climate-plans-2020-sep-17_en

Worlds Rivers Day: Save European free-flowing rivers – end subsidies for small hydropower

WORLD RIVERS DAY PRESS RELEASE                                                                                  

Freshwater ecosystems are being lost at unprecedented rates. According to the latest Living Planet Report, populations of freshwater species have declined by 84% since 1970. 

In Europe, 60% of rivers are in bad health, degraded and destroyed by hydropower dams, dykes, drainage canals, pollution, unsustainable sand and gravel extraction, poorly planned navigation infrastructure, etc. It’s the most obstructed river landscape in the world. 

Despite this, on World Rivers Day, which this year falls on September 27th, it is worth celebrating that there are parts of Europe where rivers still run free.

The Balkans is home to some of the last free-flowing rivers in Europe, but they are under attack. Driven by substantial state-sponsored feed-in tariffs for renewable energy production, around 2,700 small hydropower plants are planned across the region, threatening to destroy hundreds of free-flowing rivers and streams – in total, losing more than 5,000 km of pristine rivers.

“Supported by the state, small hydropower development is a major threat to the Balkans’ rivers. It is also fuelling social unrest in the region, as more and more local communities are rising up against small harmful hydropower projects. The time has come for states to end subsidies for the destruction of nature and protect the last free-flowing rivers in Europe”, said Zoran Mateljak, WWF Adria Freshwater Program Manager.

Over the last ten years, the number of hydropower plants under 10 megawatts has quadrupled in Western Balkan countries. Governments have clearly favoured small hydropower development. In 2018, more than 70% of all renewable energy incentives in the region were spent on small hydropower. Yet, despite this, they generated only 3.6% of total electricity.

“The EU has already moved away from feed-in tariffs for all but the smallest projects, so the subsidies system now in place for hydropower in most Western Balkan countries directly contradicts the EU guidelines on state aid for environmental protection and energy” explains Pippa Gallop, Southeast Europe Energy Advisor at Bankwatch. “Governments must change the rules urgently to prevent any more unnecessary destruction of our rivers”. 

The disproportionate environmental and social damage caused by small hydropower compared to its energy generation potential has already been recognised by the Energy Community, the EU’s Technical Expert Group on the sustainable finance taxonomy, and in the EU’s Principles for Sustainable Hydropower Development in the Western Balkans. But Western Balkan governments have dragged their feet in halting subsidies and diversifying their renewable energy sources.

“As the countries of the Western Balkans are setting their 2030 renewable energy targets and policies, it is time to end subsidies for small hydropower projects and focus on more viable alternatives. Increasing energy efficiency and investing in wind and solar both have tremendous potential in the region if planned correctly and with public participation”, concluded both organizations.

-END-

Contact:

Pippa Gallop, Southeast Europe Energy Advisor, pippa.gallop@bankwatch.org, +385 99 755 9787

Danijel Loncar, program officer (communications), dloncar@wwfadria.org, +385 95 3894 799

Freshwater Conservationists Worldwide Implore Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Permanently Protect Europe’s Last Wild Rivers

This press release was originally published on Global Wildlife Conservation, you can reach the original press release here. 

Leading conservation organizations around the world are urgently calling on the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to turn a breakthrough resolution banning new small hydropower plants into law. The resolution, which holds no legal power yet, was initially passed June 23, but the deadline to permanently implement the resolution and permanently ban new small hydropower plants is Wednesday, Sept. 23. If the government fails to turn the resolution into law in the near future, they will again be putting at grave risk thousands of kilometers of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s wild rivers and the people and wildlife that depend on the waterways.

“This is an opportunity for Bosnia and Herzegovina to set a powerful example and become Europe’s leader in protecting some of the most intact and biodiverse rivers on the continent,” said Barney Long, senior director of species conservation at Global Wildlife Conservation. “We were encouraged by the recent resolution to protect the rivers, but for this to make any real difference, it must now be signed into law. Otherwise these small hydropower plants are going to continue to cause irreversible damage to the freshwater-dependent wildlife and people that live there, altering the balance of these ecosystems that contribute to the overall health of our planet.”

The rivers between Slovenia and Albania, including those in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are considered the most important hotspot for threatened freshwater biodiversity in Europe. Sixty-nine fish species in these rivers live nowhere else in the world. The Balkan Rivers—known as Europe’s “blue heart”—are home to marble, softmouth and prespa trout; the endangered huchen (or Danube) salmon; the endangered Balkan lynx; and the endangered white-clawed crayfish. They provide critical spawning habitat for many of the 113 endangered freshwater fish species in the Balkans.

The Balkans’ rivers continue to face an onslaught of small hydropower plant construction, including in protected areas, with plans for 3,000 dams to be constructed in the region. The dams bring with them the construction of access roads, tunnels, bridges, and transmission lines, with an influx of other human activities that require tearing down the forests around the rivers and that threaten the animals that live there. According to freshwater experts, if this is allowed to continue, at least 10 percent of all European freshwater fish species will go extinct or will be pushed to the brink of extinction.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Freshwater Biodiversity Unit is currently reviewing proposals for 11 freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the potential for more, underscoring that these sites are globally important for the health of the planet and for the persistence of biodiversity. Yet in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 436 small hydropower plants have either recently been built, are under construction, or are planned.

The projects are driven by local and foreign investors, with diverse financial support, including subsidies for renewables. Some investors use the argument that hydropower can help Bosnia and Herzegovina meet its goal of 40 percent renewable energy (one of the highest targets in Europe) to get the country a step closer to joining the European Union. Although current small hydro plants in Bosnia and Herzegovina only produce around 3 percent of the country’s annual energy and come at a huge environmental cost, the government has continued to grant permits and subsidies for these new small and medium hydro projects that have a negligible “renewable energy” contribution at a huge environmental cost.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians see firsthand that small hydro evokes a visceral reaction across the country,” said Marsela Pecanac, founder of Atelier for Community Transformation – ACT. “Broad public support for rivers has swelled, energized by the local communities ready to defend their rivers with their lives. The politicians now have a unique opportunity to set a powerful example for the Balkans and Europe and ban all new hydro permanently with one swift action, creating a legacy for generations to come.”

Not only do the hydropower dams destroy the rivers and landscape around them, but they also divert and pollute water, and restrict access to clean drinking water for local communities and for use in agricultural practices and other livelihoods. The rivers also offer an opportunity for sustainable income through ecotourism, an industry that depends on healthy, intact rivers. And many Bosnia and Herzegovinia residents consider the rivers a part of their identity. Across the country, local communities, such as those around Neretvica and Kruščica rivers, have been rising up and holding protests, often forming human walls at construction sites to prevent bulldozers from starting the work.

“Whenever I visit the Balkan rivers, I am overwhelmed by the beauty and its richness,” said Ulrich Eichelmann, coordinator of the Blue Heart campaign from Riverwatch. “But what strikes me even more, is that people stand up for their rivers and streams—they don’t fight for money or fame, they fight for their rivers, their homeland and their future. This also is unique in today’s world. But these people need the help from all over the world. We must unite to save the Blue Heart of Europe.”

In addition to calling on the government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to formally ban the construction of small hydropower plants, the group of conservation organizations urges the other government entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, to pass a similar law. After the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina initiative, Republika Srpska had also proposed a similar resolution earlier this year for a temporary ban of all small hydropower projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but eventually the National Assembly voted against it, despite significant local community pressure.

The organizations putting out the call are from a broad coalition including: 2020 Action, American Rivers, Arnika, Atelier for Community Transformation – ACT, CEE Bankwatch Network, the Coalition for the Protection of Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, David Brower Center, EarthAction, Earth Law Center, EuroNatur Foundation, Freshwater Life, Global Wildlife Conservation, International Rivers, the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission Freshwater Fish Specialist Group, the IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee, Institute for Environmental Security, Rainforest Action Network, The Redford Center, Riverwatch, Save the Blue Heart of Europe, Shoal, the World Fish Migration Foundation, World Future Council, and WWF.

Additional Quotes

Brent Blackwelder, president emeritus, Friends of the Earth U.S.
“The United States is abandoning building big dams and instead is removing dams in order to restore fisheries. Over 1,500 dams in the U.S. have been removed to save remarkable rivers and wildlife habitat.”

Darryl Knudsen, executive director, International Rivers
“Our earth is under assault, and we need to protect our wild rivers. The first time I saw the turquoise waters of the Soca river, my heart nearly stopped at its beauty. I hope someday also to visit the storied rivers of Bosnia…if they are still there. I am heartened by the popular and courageous resistance the Bosnian people continue to display to preserve their heritage rivers. And the Bosnian government has shown foresight with its resolution. Now is the time to codify the foreseen protections into law. Let’s remember:  hydro is NOT green power. Through methane emissions, dam reservoirs emit 2-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of the climate impact of the entire global airline industry. Meanwhile, rivers provide the most biodiversity-rich habitat on the planet. If you want to protect the systems of life on earth for generations to come, there isn’t much you can do that’s better than stopping a dam.  Wind and solar are much more sustainable. We must act; the time is now.”

Jörg Freyhof, IUCN Freshwater Fish Specialist Group Steering Committee and regional chair for Europe
“The massive development of micro hydropower plants through the Balkan region will significantly affect many of the smaller tributaries that are valuable spawning and feeding habits for many species of fishes. The FFSG has worked with the Save the Blue Heart of Europe initiative for many years in looking for solutions to address this issue, and fully support this initiative.”

Pippa Gallop, southeast Europe energy advisor, CEE Bankwatch Network
“The hydropower boom in the Balkans is truly “death by a thousand cuts” for the region’s stunning rivers. Cutting the region’s vast energy wastage and unlocking its rooftop solar potential alone would contribute much more than small hydropower has.”

Ian Harrison, co-chair, IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee
“This call for a ban on small hydropower plants is an opportunity to make a truly positive impact on the way we manage and conserve our rivers in Europe. It represents a critically needed, forward thinking, investment not just in conservation, but an investment in the full range of ecosystem services that these rivers supply in support of nature and the people who rely on them and their associated habitats.”

Lejla Kusturica, activist and director of Foundation Atelier for Community Transformation – ACT
“One of the hardest and most painful injustices currently happening in Bosnia and Herzegovina is what’s happening to our environment. These rivers are the heart of our communities. In the past few years, our country has become a true hub of resistance, inspiring not just the region, but the rest of the world.”

Eduardo Noboa, senior programme manager climate energy, World Future Council
“Hydroelectric plants have intertwined and complex impacts which could generate more costs than benefits. There are many cases and examples from other regions in the world where there are innumerable water infrastructure projects that have caused significant impacts on ecosystems, people, livelihoods and culture. Instead of investing more trillions on high-risk hydropower projects, ambitious programmes for deployment of decentralised and distributed non-conventional renewable energy should be promoted where needed.”

Annette Spangenberg, head of project unit, EuroNatur Foundation
“The rivers of the Balkans are a European treasure, one we cannot afford to lose. We support the local communities in their fight for their rivers and will make sure that their voices will be heard all over Europe.”

Bernie Tershy, Freshwater Life
“Dam construction has peaked in the world’s wealthy countries and more old dams are being removed than new ones constructed. Bosnia and Herzegovina shouldn’t be pursuing an energy development strategy that the EU and North America have largely rejected.”

Jill Tidman, executive director, The Redford Center
“This is a critically important moment in which we all must take a stamd to protect what remains of our intact ecosystems and waterways, and the lives that depend on them. We are proud to stand with these distinguished organizations in this effort.”

 Wouter Veening, president, Institute for Environmental Security
“By enshrining its forward-looking resolution into law, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina will give its wild rivers the long-term protection they deserve and thus contribute to the ecological well-being of the Balkans, the wider European region and the world as a whole.”

Lois Barber, executive director, EarthAction
“Rivers are the lifeblood of our planet. We need to keep them healthy and free-flowing!”

 Dragana Skenderija, coordinator, the Coalition for the Protection of Rivers Bosnia and Herzegovina
“Private investors invest money in small hydropower plants and make a profit, while the people do not benefit from their construction. Ultimately, only great damage is created for the environment, and financial losses through taxes and subsidies on renewable energy sources turn into profit for private companies.” The ban on the construction of SHPPs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the abolition of incentives for SHPPs are the most important demands that the Coalition for the Protection of Rivers of BiH demands from decision makers.”

 Zuzana Vachůnová, activist and coordination of activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Arnika
“The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina are not only protecting the last European wild rivers, but also the rule of law in their country. Local communities must have a say about the projects that affect them, but this is not happening; the small hydropower plants are mostly permitted without proper involvement of the locals and thus violate the basic principles of environmental democracy. We stand with people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and call on the governments to finally protect the valuable nature and the basic rights of the local communities.”

 Herman Wanningen, founder and managing director of the World Fish Migration Foundation
“Across Europe we are starting to see more in-stream barrier removals to reduce river fragmentation and degradation. Still, 60% of Europe’s freshwater ecosystems are not healthy according to the Water Framework Directive. Therefore, it is illogical to build new dams in the very few healthy rivers left in Europe.”

Grant Wilson, executive director and directing attorney, Earth Law Center
“Hydropower is not truly ‘renewable’ energy because it permanently devastates aquatic ecosystems and species, and therefore should not be part of Europe’s renewable energy future. We urge the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to follow through with its ban of small hydropower plants in order to create a future in which rivers and local communities thrive together in harmony.”