Participants of Belgrade Ministerial Conference – Reducing pollution in Southeast and South Europe is a national, regional and global challenge

A two-day Ministerial Conference Innovative Solutions to Pollution in South East and Southern Europe has been organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Serbian Ministry of Environmental Protection in Belgrade, gathering ministers and high environmental representatives of countries from the region to discuss measures to reduce pollution and adopt Joint Regional Vision on Innovative Solutions […]

Interviews December 10, 2018

Regulatory framework, electricity price highlighted as impediments to greening region’s energy mix

The Western Balkans, and Serbia in particular, should continue implementing regulations to help green the energy mix and fight climate change, according to panelists at the 11th Balkan Energy Finance Forum. They also raised the issues of how the low regulated electricity price is affecting investments in the energy sector overall and how third countries […]

Renewables November 30, 2018

Energy Community Ministerial Council sets direction for adopting 2030 energy and climate targets

Energy Community Ministerial Council, held today in Skopje, took some key decisions, including the adoption of  General Policy Guidelines on 2030 energy and climate targets, the selection of 21 infrastructure projects of regional significance, and re-opening of the negotiations on amendments to the Treaty establishing the Energy Community. The meeting, which brought together ministers of […]

2nd South-East Europe Parliamentary Forum on Energy Efficiency and Climate held in Skopje

After the success of the 1st South-East Europe Parliamentary Forum on Energy Efficiency (EE) and Climate, held in December 2017 in the Energy Community in Vienna, the GIZ Open Regional Fund for South-East Europe – Energy Efficiency (ORF-EE) organized another on 27 November, 2018 in Skopje, Macedonia. The event hosted representatives of parliaments and civil […]

Energy Community, EBRD issue joint Policy Guidelines for implementing Energy Efficiency Obligation schemes

The Energy Community (EnC) Secretariat and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have issued joint Policy Guidelines to help countries in the region design and implement an Energy Efficiency Obligation (EEO) scheme in line with Article 7 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive. According to the Secretariat’s press release, Article 7 requires EU […]

Business interests of coal, oil, gas, nuclear are main obstacle to 100% renewable electricity worldwide

Serbia has enough potential to cover energy demand with renewables only, including solar, wind, biomass, organic waste, hydropower, and geothermal. The main obstacles to 100% renewable electricity worldwide are the business interests of coal, oil, gas, and nuclear, says Energy Watch Group (EWG) President Hans-Josef Fell, author of the 2000 German Renewable Energy Sources Act […]

Interviews November 27, 2018

Guide to scaling-up rooftop solar in SEE region

Author: Toby D. Couture, Director of E3 Analytics As the costs of solar power continue to decline around the world, solar power is now securing its place as not only the most abundant energy source in the world, but increasingly, as the least expensive. While many decision-makers around the world continue to think that solar is costly […]

Features November 26, 2018