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Home > Archives for Balkans

Balkans

Against all logic, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Federal government ramps up fossil gas ambitions

January 14, 2025

Fossil gas makes up less than three per cent of total energy supply in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), but instead of making use of the opportunity to leapfrog straight from coal to renewables, the Federation of BiH (FBiH) government is inexplicably expanding its gasification ambitions.


Western Balkans: Environmental groups challenge Commission’s breach of Reform and Growth Facility safeguards

January 13, 2025

CEE Bankwatch Network and Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe have formally requested a review (1) of the European Commission’s decision to approve five Western Balkan countries’ Reform Agendas under the new Reform and Growth Facility. The groups argue that the approval breached EU law by failing to apply mandatory environmental safeguards and public consultation requirements.


A well-designed national energy efficiency fund in North Macedonia will enable long-term energy savings in the residential and public sectors

December 20, 2024

National energy efficiency funds are widely recognised as a highly effective mechanism for boosting investment across all sectors. However, their success depends on careful design and implementation.


Bosnia and Herzegovina southern gas interconnector: ‘Why gas at all?’ should be the key question

December 18, 2024

The long-running controversy about the planned southern gas interconnector between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has dramatically reignited this month. After fervent lobbying by the US Ambassador to BiH, a special law on the project was adopted by the first of two houses of the Federation of BiH entity parliament on 12 December. But political controversies have monopolized the debate, with hardly a word on its energy, economic or climate implications.


Heating the heights: Žabljak’s bold move towards sustainable warmth

December 11, 2024

Perched 1,456 metres above sea level in the Durmitor National Park in Montenegro, Žabljak, the highest urban settlement in the Western Balkans, is looking for new heating solutions. A 2020 pre-feasibility suggested biomass, but determined to avoid air pollution and deforestation, the local authorities set out to find a better way forward.


Bern Convention: Western Balkan countries need to propose new protected natural areas

December 9, 2024

The Bern Convention on Friday set a new target and agreed on a roadmap for the expansion of the Emerald Network of protected areas. The aim of the Network is to preserve endangered species and habitats throughout Europe.


No just transition in sight for gas-distracted Serbian coal communities

December 2, 2024

Serbia’s underground coal mining regions, burdened by pollution and ancient technology, face an uncertain future, as plans to replace coal with fossil gas risk a new lock-in of unsustainable energy and distract authorities from unlocking the region’s untapped potential in agriculture, tourism, and green industries.


Emerald Network in the Western Balkans

November 27, 2024

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia are required to establish a sufficient number of Emerald Network sites as signatories to the Bern Convention. However, since 2011, not a single new site has been proposed and many stunning rivers remain unprotected. The #EmeraldForRivers campaign aims to support governments in expanding the Emerald Network.


Western Balkan governments are willing accomplices in Azerbaijan’s abuse of COP29. Will the EU act to defend climate integrity?

November 22, 2024

This year’s COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku never looked like a serious attempt to tackle the global climate emergency. After all, its hosts plan to increase oil and gas production by a third over the next decade – hardly a sign of climate leadership.


While the EBRD shows off its green credentials at COP29, its North Macedonia gas pipeline loan still brings more questions than answers

November 19, 2024

The EBRD has made significant investments in solar, wind and energy efficiency in recent years. But these have been undermined by its continued support for fossil fuels. This April, a EUR 98 million loan for the Greece to North Macedonia pipeline was approved, despite major leaks in the Bank’s rationale for supporting it. Recent delays have further exposed the flawed assumptions behind the project, as our new briefing shows.


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