Milestone bank summit in Belgrade a step towards protecting Balkan rivers, but greater transparency still needed
March 1, 2019
For immediate release. Belgrade – The ‘Save the Blue Heart of Europe’ campaign [1] gave a cautious welcome to a first-of-its-kind summit between the financial sector and green activists, where a roundtable about the role of banks in the destruction of Balkan rivers by hydropower dams was centre stage.
ARCHIVED: Kresna gorge / Struma motorway, Bulgaria
February 25, 2019
The Struma motorway is tragically emblematic of an EU-funded project that has wrought havoc on European biodiversity and the wishes of local communities. In spite of two decades of protest by civil society and citizens, part of the Struma motorway section is planned directly through the Kresna gorge, a Natura 2000 site and Bulgaria’s richest biodiversity hotspot.
New investigation in Kresna gorge reveals another major breach of law
February 15, 2019
An independent investigation by a Bulgarian TV channel bTV discovered progressing construction works in the Kresna gorge area even though the official procurement procedure is still ongoing.
EU funds maladministration complaint to the European Ombudsman
January 31, 2019
The matter of concern is the use of EU Cohesion funds for deterioration of the conservation and integrity of habitats and species in Kresna gorge (Bulgaria) protected by EU law and International Conventions. The EC did not prevent and ensure that the S
Case to the European Ombudsman calls out Commission for failing to protect Bulgaria’s biodiversity
January 31, 2019
Brussels / Sofia – the European Commission has been accused of failing to monitor how EU funds are being spent in Bulgaria, according to a complaint [1] filed to the European Ombudsman over the Commission’s handling of a motorway project that threatens a protected Natura 2000 site.
Bulgaria, l’autostrada che divide
December 27, 2018
Un discusso progetto di collegamento tra Sofia e Salonicco, finanziato dall’Unione Europea, rischia di annientare in un sol colpo la più importante area protetta e uno dei maggiori siti archeologici del paese Source: Bulgaria, l’autostrada che divide
Albanie «Avec cette hydrocentrale, je perdrais tout»
September 27, 2018
Le petit Etat des Balkans est l’un des rares pays européens à conserver ses cours d’eau intacts, telle la rivière Vjosa. Une manne convoitée par les compagnies d’hydroélectricité qui veulent y implanter des barrages, mais entre les agriculteurs refusan
Foto La battaglia per salvare i Balcani dalle dighe
September 14, 2018
Nei Balcani gli ultimi fiumi selvaggi d’Europa sono a rischio a causa dell’industria idroelettrica. Conseguenze ambientali importanti, ritorni economici dubbi e non a vantaggio delle comunità locali hanno dato vita a una campagna di denuncia internazio
Shuakhevi hydropower plant, Georgia
August 13, 2018
Georgia’s biggest and one of the most controversial hydropower plants is mostly famous for its failures. Two months after becoming operational in 2017 its tunnels collapsed. And after two years of repairs water is leaking from the dam. Shuakhevi hydropower plant (HPP) once promised to bring energy independence to Georgia. Instead it managed to collect an impressive ‘portfolio’ of problems in a wide range of areas: from biodiversity, to gender impacts, to community relations.
Hydropower rebounds in the Western Balkans
August 8, 2018
After a severe drought caused hydropower generation to slump in the Western Balkans last year, the latest data show a sharp rebound in hydroelectricity production in the first half of 2018. Source: Hydropower rebounds in the Western Balkans
