Sustainability

Out of pace or Out of the Race?

Fact Sheet

Our world is facing one of its greatest challenges: the race to zero (emissions) and climate-neutrality. To stay on track, science warns of the required stage times, especially for the next decade, through to the year 2030. In this brochure, we present comparative data relevant for the establishment of energy profiles of the Western Balkan countries, “contracting parties” to the Energy Community Treaty, and how they might win the race.

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Spaces of Commoning

Taking up the challenge of understanding the urban commons in the context of the unique collective experience of Yugoslav real socialism, which attempted to implement an experimental system of self-management on the level of the entire society, represents an attempt to also recognize how this specific context reflects the concept of the new commons: what are the practices and forms of commons that have emerged in resistance to neoliberal capitalism on the periphery, but also - how do these commons communicate with the Yugoslav heritage.

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The European Green Deal

The European Green Deal is an EU development strategy for the 21st century. Its central concern is the environment and climate change - how to make the EU's economy develop in a climate-friendly way. The Commission defines it as “a new growth strategy that aims to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use”. The Commission promises “mainstreaming sustainability” into all policies, by adopting “a green oath: ‘do no harm’”.

Common(ing Space): Fragments of Reflection on Urban Spatial Commons

Article

New ways of space management and use are continually emerging worldwide. They are, on one side, criticizing the mechanisms of neoliberal urbanization and their consequences, while on the other opening the wider social discussion about possible alternatives including participative approaches, social infrastructures, self-managed spaces and grassroots practices.

By Jovana Timotijević

Bački Monoštor - A Village on Seven Danube Banks

In the unique present-day Monoštor, you can sail through the Danube’s distributaries and canals, exploring in deep silence the mysterious remnants of the medieval city and fortress Bodrog, once the seat of the Bács-Bodrog County located in the area of today’s Bački Monoštor

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Sustainability Forum identifies ways to embrace a decarbonized future in the Energy Community

Forum Statement

The third Sustainability Forum took place under the auspices of the Energy Community in cooperation with Balkan Green Foundation, Heinrich Böll Foundation and The Nature Conservancy on 27 June 2019 in Vienna. Here is the Forum's agreed statement.

How can the Western Balkans and Ukraine transition to clean energy?

The success of the energy transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine is a question of political will in those countries. But the EU can help set up the conditions for a successful modernization, writes Robert Sperfeld.

By Robert Sperfeld

Sustainable Development in Kosovo: A Local Perspective

The purpose of this paper is to account for how local governments and citizens perceive sustainable development in Kosovo and explore bottlenecks and opportunities they face in this regard. A combination of document analysis and information gained through public debates shows that local governments are in a favorable position to respond to and address today’s local development challenges in Kosovo. Findings indicate that local governments can play a vital role in educating, mobilizing, and responding to citizens to promote overall sustainable development in the longer term, albeit a relatively new concept in Kosovo.

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