Government issues two public calls for funding to help reduce air pollution
The government of North Macedonia has issued two public calls for funding under its program for reducing air pollution for 2019, according to announcements on the government’s website. One invitation refers to financial support to state accredited higher education institutions, high schools, elementary schools, and kindergartens to help them procure indoor air purifiers. The funding […]
Romania’s 1st independent air quality monitoring network registers excessive PM pollution
Romania’s first independent air quality monitoring network, deployed by Philips Romania on October 1, 2018, has shown levels of PM10 and PM2.5 pollution frequently reaching seven to nine times the maximum allowed levels this winter. The air quality network is continuously monitoring emissions of particulate matter PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 at 15 stations in Bucharest […]
EU project expected to mobilize EUR 1.4 billion to tackle polluting household heating in Bulgaria
The European Commission has approved a EUR 16.7 million project to improve air quality in Bulgaria, with the EU contribution at nearly EUR 10 million. The LIFE IP CLEAN AIR project will be a catalyst for the mobilization of EU structural funding and national funds worth around EUR 1.4 billion in total to tackle polluting […]
Western Balkan coal power plants are health, economic liability for entire Europe – environmental organizations
Sixteen outdated coal power plants in the Western Balkans are a public health and economic liability for the whole of Europe, with people in the EU bearing the majority of the health impacts and costs, according to a new report by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), Sandbag, Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, CEE Bankwatch […]
Skopje supplies classrooms with air purifiers, launches fresh subsidies to fight air pollution
Skopje has procured air purifiers for all high school classrooms – 572 in total. The second semester was supposed to begin on Monday, but the winter break was extended by two days over high levels of air pollution. Many cities in the region have had excessive air pollution in recent days, with particulate matter (PM) […]
Sarajevo world’s most polluted city, poor air quality seen across Western Balkans
The Sarajevo authorities could introduce measures to limit the use of cars, and are already urging individuals and businesses to cut down on the use of solid fuels and drive less. Air quality measurements by the US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) continued to show Sarajevo to be the world’s most polluted city earlier […]
Measures to tackle air pollution inefficient, financing inadequate – analysis
An analysis of the National Audit Office (NAO) identifies the inefficiency of measures and the inadequacy of financing as key reasons for poor results in tackling air pollution in Bulgaria. The NAO analysis is part of a collective audit by 15 audit offices in the region and the EU, covering the period from 2014 to 2017. […]
What will it take to make Balkan leaders realise new coal plants are a liability, not a gold mine?
Author: Pippa Gallop, Research Co-ordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network In April this year, the EU proved that whatever difficulties it might be going through, it can still make momentous decisions. It approved new pollution control standards for power stations, entitled the LCP BREF (1) The name might sound obscure, but the results should be concrete: The new […]