Environment and Energy

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.

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.

According to data obtained by the CINS, between 2013 and 2017, EPS was the primary recipient of state funds for electricity produced by small hydro, while in second place were companies owned by Nikola Petrović or his business partners, with more than €10 million in income. Petrović is a former director of “Elektromreža Srbije", and godfather to President  Aleksandar Vučić.  

Coalition 27's latest shadow report, entitled "No-Progress Report" calls for much higher investments, hence more political will in the field of environmental and climate policies. Serbia has yet to open negotiations on Chapter 27 of the EU accession process.

Compared to COP21 where the EU had a decisive bridge-building role between developed and developing countries in leading a strong climate coalition, in Marrakesh Europe appeared silent and divided. Despite the urgency for concrete and immediate actions to bend the curve and win the race against the clock, the negotiations in Marrakesh seemed to be moving in a parallel universe.

It is unrealistic to expect that several public servants have superhuman abilities and capacities to every now and then, deliver visionary documents which should guide us in a completely new direction in a completely novel way. Including stakeholders in the process of public policy development is a key tool for enhancing transparency, quality and effectiveness of policies. 

Despite numerous undisputed benefits of cycling as a mobility mode, in Belgrade, “His Royal Highness the Car” is still the absolute sovereign with not much chance of changing this any time soon. 

How did two engineers, with the help of a local self-government, start from scratch and made a well-rounded system which cares for the public spending on energy; how much did they save in their municipality and the problems they faced. 

Improving energy efficiency of wood burning stoves could not only significantly contribute to improving comfort and health but also to significant savings which could cumulatively exceed one hundred million Euros annually. This money could be spent on something else, thus creating much needed demand for goods and services which is the only way to sustainably increase employment. 

In the late 1990s, the scolding of the middle class had begun in the USA. Its lifestyle: too expensive, too wasteful, too costly. It used to live in cities. Now it lives 40 miles away, in the suburbs. One automobile used to suffice. Now there have to be 2, or more. The sizes of the living area, the energy consumption and the size of the properties have also multiplied – as have the debts.