Balkans

On the occasion of a China – Central and Eastern European Countries summit in Bucharest, NGOs from across the region have written to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang calling on him to support renewable energy and energy efficiency investments, instead of the series of coal projects currently planned across eastern and south-east Europe.

This study by Dr hab. Leszek Pazderski and commissioned by the Center for Environment, Banja Luka, describes the compliance of the environmental permit for the planned Stanari lignite power plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina (issued in May 2008 and then changed in September 2010) with currently valid directives of the European Union, regulating industrial emissions and their environmental impact.

A list of 35 regional priority energy projects selected on 24 October in Belgrade by the Energy Community's Ministerial Council has been greeted with dismay by civil society groups from across the western Balkans.

The Western Balkans countries are aspiring to become members of the European Union. On 24 October the Ministerial Council of the EC-backed Energy Community will approve a list of priority energy infrastructure projects resulting from the Regional Energy Strategy known as Projects of Energy Community Interest (PECIs) for the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine. These projects would be prioritised for fast-track approval and public financing.