Brussels, 30/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - Energy projects approved by the European Commission will have devastating consequences for the environment and the health of the people of the Western Balkans, environmental NGOs present in the region said on Wednesday 30 October. According to these NGOs (CEE Bankwatch Network, WWF Mediterranean and SEE Change Net), these projects, which are on the list of 35 priority projects approved by the Energy Community in Belgrade (Serbia) on Thursday 24 October, with the support of the European Commission, run counter to the environmental and climate objectives of the EU. They therefore urge José Manuel Barroso, President of the Commission, to review the list.
Several of the selected projects are environmentally and socially damaging: coal and hydropower plants, in particular three lignite powerplants (Kolubara B and Nikola Tesla in Serbia and Re in Kosovo), the NGOs stress, referring also to hydroelectric power stations on the River Drina - an area with a particularly rich biodiversity.
“We are deeply concerned about several hydropower projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia that have received the backing of the Energy Community. These projects will have significant environmental and social impact and do not meet basic EU standards. WWF will therefore appeal to the competent European institutions to review the list and eliminate the projects that fail to comply with EU legal requirements”, said Angela Kalauschen of WWF Mediterranean, quoted in the press release.
The NGOs criticise the EU for having authorised the regional ministers to select projects which conflict with the objectives of the EU in terms of the protection of biodiversity and the transition to a low-carbon economy. (AN/transl.fl)