Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovenia fail to submit air pollution reduction plans to EC

Half of the European Union’s 28 member states, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, and Slovenia, had failed to prepare their air pollution reduction plans by the April 1 deadline, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) said on its website. The other countries on this “black list” are Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and […]

Holistic approach in sustainable development of renewables – dialogue, environment concerns, intersectoral synergies and public participation

At the recently held Hard Talk event in Belgrade, representatives of UNECE, Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia and various stakeholders groups discussed barriers and risks that prevent more intense development of the renewable energy sector in the country but also proposed  recommendations to address those challenges. At the sidelines of […]

European Parliament confirms ban on single-use plastics by 2021

The European Parliament (EP) has approved a new law banning single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery, straws, and cotton buds sticks. Confirming draft plans approved in late 2018, the EP said the following single-use plastic products will be banned in the EU by 2021: Single-use plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons and chopsticks) Single-use plastic […]

Waste April 15, 2019

Startup SmartCat tops PowerUp! competition in Serbia

Startup SmartCat from Novi Sad has won the second PowerUp! competition in Serbia with its innovative software Optimus Power for optimization and control of electricity consumption. The startup made up of Sanja Hajduković, Nina Marjanović, Nenad Božić, Dušan Ranđelović, and Stanko Kuveljić secured the opportunity to compete in the regional final in Krakow on May […]

INSPIRE-Grid project: Reaching consensus on how to expand power grid infrastructure

The INSPIRE-Grid (Improved and eNhanced Stakeholders Participation In Reinforcement of Electricity Grid) project introduces several tools to ensure that all voices are heard in the power line planning and approval process, including a web-interface which allows all interested stakeholders to visualize the possible routes and express their opinion. The story about the EU funded project […]