Countries with Europe’s best quality bathing water revealed
Just ahead of summer vacations, the European Commission has released a report on the quality of bathing water in EU member states plus Albania and Switzerland. The latest annual European bathing water quality report is based on the 2018 data, but the results give a good indication of where the best quality bathing waters are […]
European Commission: Albania should urgently diversify away from hydropower, properly conduct environmental assessments
Albania is moderately prepared in the area of energy, according to the European Commission’s latest report on the country’s alignment with the EU acquis. Albania’s national energy strategy 2018-2030 has been adopted, the Chapter 15 section of the report notes. However, the country has delayed electricity market reforms and should accelerate implementation of the connectivity […]
EBRD tightens environmental, disclosure standards for all hydropower projects
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has unveiled its new good governance policies after conducting public consultations across 8 cities, including Belgrade, Serbia. According to its new Environmental and Social Policy, the EBRD will require its financial intermediaries to refer all high-risk sub projects, including all hydropower projects, back to the EBRD’s in-house […]
New Rulebook on drinking water quality increases maximum allowed ammonia, boron, chloride, sodium levels
The Ministry of Health has amended the Rulebook on drinking water quality to allow higher levels of ammonia, boron, chloride and sodium. The new rules, which entered into force at the end of April, were met with criticism from part of the public, while the Ministry and experts claim there is no reason to fear. […]
Macedonian activist wins Goldman Environmental Prize
The Goldman Environmental Foundation has announced six recipients of the 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize, the world’s foremost award for grassroots environmental activists, according to a press release from the foundation. One of the awards has for the first time gone to North Macedonia, to Ana Colovic Lesoska, who has successfully campaigned to halt international lending […]
There is no life without water, and small hydropower plants would extinguish it on Stara Planina
Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta has been fighting against the construction of run-of-river small hydropower plants (SHPPs) on Mt. Stara Planina (the Balkan mountain range) since 2016. Growing up, Jovanović witnessed much better hydrological days of the rivers and streams of Stara Planina, which have since been hurt by climate change and investors’ plans to build SHPPs. […]
Dimitrovgrad municipality proposes ban on SHPPs on its territory
The Municipal Council of Dimitrovgrad in eastern Serbia has adopted a decision to propose the expulsion of all potential locations for the construction of small hydropower plants (SHPPs) from the local spatial plan, Južne vesti reported. The 1987 cadastre for SHPPs envisages the construction of 12 facilities in the Dimitrovgrad municipality and although none have […]
Only 13 out of 250 Serbian MPs support initiative to protect water under Constitution
Thirteen out of 250 members of the parliament (MPs) of the Republic of Serbia have signed the Green Party’s initiative to protect drinking water as one of the most important resources under the Constitution. The Green Party has announced that it will soon start a campaign to collect 150,000 signatures in order to bring the […]
