In today’s article, we have two special guests. Υes-Europe Greece through, our article writer, Nazia Azim is having a conversation with two columnists from the Balkans in-site, Konstantinos Konstantonis, and Sofia Myrotheou. The interview is all about the environmental problems that the Balkan region is facing nowadays. Apart from that, interlocutors are discussing how governments are trying to solve the complex equations of the current problems. Also, they talk about how climate change can have a major impact on the sector of enterprises.
Have the countries of the Balkan region a standard policy towards the environment and climate change?
Balkan countries have some standard environmental policies towards climate change since, to become a full EU member, several specific policies need to be put in place and the environmental field is one of the largest policy areas with a substantial package of legislation. The Western Balkans suffer from serious air, water, and soil pollution.
They cooperate with the European Environmental Information and Observation Network (Eionet) and in November 2020 the 6 leaders of the Western Balkans countries signed the Sofia Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. However, the Green Agenda does not provide any enforcement mechanism to ensure full implementation and compliance. Many analysts estimate that this fact is the main problem of the environmental policies in the Balkans. The WB6 leaders committed to work in line with the Green Deal toward achieving climate neutrality in 2050 and towards the pollution of air, water, and soil. Countries that are already members of the European Union, such as Slovenia, have a more specific environmental policy and are subject to a national environmental implementation review by the European Commission.
How do the Balkan countries see the agenda of the European Union for the climate and its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030?
The agenda of the European Union for the climate sets an ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. Furthermore, EU leaders endorsed the objective of achieving a climate-neutral EU by 2050. This means that between now and 2050, the EU will drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and find ways of compensating for the remaining unavoidable emissions. Balkan countries do positively see this agenda and the EU has adopted a more specialized agenda for the Balkans. The new strategy aims to shift from a traditional economic model to a sustainable economy, in line with the European Green Deal. It points the way to new energy and mobility solutions, sustainable economies, environmentally friendly agriculture, and the preservation of biodiversity. This action plan is the catalyst for achieving climate goals, economic recovery in the region, and convergence with the European Union. Western Balkan countries have so far committed to aligning with European climate targets for accession as the energy sector and the environmental policies are at the core of the accession negotiations.
The war in Ukraine has given rise to discussions about the use of nuclear energy. What is the dominant point of view about nuclear energy in the Balkan countries, after the accident that happened in the Chernobyl region?
Since the war started in Ukraine, nuclear power has emerged as a reliable alternative solution in the Balkans for the energy crisis. Balkan countries don’t see LNG as the most suitable solution for the reduction of dependence on Russian gas and the dominant point of view is that nuclear energy needs to cover a bigger percentage of the countries’ electricity production. Nuclear power is already used by Bulgaria as the country has two nuclear reactors generating about one-third of its electricity. The Bulgarian government plans to invest even more in nuclear energy during the next years. Serbia and Albania have also expressed interest in the construction of new and small nuclear power plants. For these plans to be implemented, countries need to have the necessary infrastructure, experience, and action plan.
The safety of nuclear plants is a great matter of concern for Balkans countries as Chernobyl nuclear accident caused a series of problems for them. Moreover, tensions are expected to rise as far as the matter of nuclear waste storage is concerned. Despite those problems, Balkan countries are ready to move in the direction of turning nuclear energy into an effective way of electricity production.
Do you believe that the countries of the region are ready to become independent from the use of natural gas and turn to alternative energy sources?
Countries of the Balkans have a significant transformation potential towards alternative energy sources and a low carbon energy system. The current share of renewable energy of gross final energy consumption in the Western Balkans Six is 28%. The renewable energy mix almost exclusively consists of biomass and hydropower. Besides further increased use of biomass, significant growth is also expected in the wind and solar power. By 2030, the highest growth is expected to be in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The development of alternative energy sources is not an easy task because, first of all, many countries lack the necessary infrastructure and experience in this field. Moreover, significant variations in resource availability exist within each country, and the cost of capital is strongly influenced by differences in renewable energy support schemes and the overall political and economic situation in each country. Independence from the gas should be a long-term aspiration and should become a reality through careful steps.
How do the governments of the region help the development of green ESG + SDGs for the corporate world?
Even though most countries in the region do better as the years come by, unfortunately, all of them are ranked lower than the 30th place, which means many sustainable goals are not met. In my opinion, the governments of the Balkan states have a long way to go to develop a greener corporate world. From the many goals, the Balkan countries seem to struggle with climate action, which means that they aren't actively trying to tackle it in its true dimensions.
Is there support from the governments of the region towards eco-friendly initiatives?
At the moment, there are some eco-friendly initiatives in the Balkan region, for example, the Balkan Green Ideas, the Balkan Green Foundation, or the SLLES. The change towards a more sustainable future has only occurred in the last few years. In my opinion, the European guidelines for sustainability have played a significant role in changing the Balkans’ approach to environmental matters. Many initiatives are supported mainly by EU funds. The support coming from local governments just isn’t enough, but it will be crucial, for the future, for many Balkan countries are still finishing at the top of the European list for most polluted cities.
Some weeks ago the Bulgarian company Overgas, the US company Linden Energy and the Albanian company Albgas signed a treaty for the creation of a new natural gas pipeline. However, various organizations think that this step might be an obstacle to the expansion of the use of alternative energy sources. Do you agree with that opinion?
In my opinion, this treaty will not act as an obstacle to the expansion of the use of alternative energy sources. The need for sustainability and development towards a greener future is clear to many governments of the region, as they gradually comply more and more with the environmental guidelines of the European Commission. I see this treaty more as a way of dealing with a potential natural gas crisis.
What is your opinion about the collaboration between Bulgaria and Greece to construct a new nuclear power plant in Bulgaria from which Greece will take energy?
Nuclear power, in comparison to fossil fuels, like coal doesn’t emit gasses like methane and CO2, which are associated with the greenhouse effect. In addition to its low maintenance and cost, nuclear power looks like a cleaner and cheaper source of energy. Many people, having the memory of the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, may feel uneasy in front of this new construction, however, I believe that nowadays we have the experience and the technological means to prevent catastrophes like that. In my eyes, nuclear power looks like the beginning of turning toward a more sustainable future.
Contributors:
We would like to thank you for our interesting discussion:
Konstantinos Konstantonis (BA in Political Science and International Relations, UoP with Specialisation in International Environmental Relations, EU Enlargement Policies)
Sofia Myrotheou (BA in Economics and Business, School of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental studies, UoM with Specialisation in Balkan Social and Economic Interaction, Green Ideas, Transitional Economies)
What is Balkans in-site? It is the first and only Youth initiative in Greece which systematically approaches past and current Balkan affairs using a scientific-proven research approach. The Observatory is interested in social, political, legal, and economic topics concerning SEE, and counts dozens of ambitious young scientists from a variety of scientific fields as members of the authorial teams. As part of our research and to strengthen our team, we conduct training seminars, external actions, interviews, and thematic projects in collaboration with Greek and other Balkan organizations.
Note: YES-Europe Greece blog provides an open and democratic space for young authors to express their thoughts and opinions. Therefore, this article expresses the personal views of the participants and does not necessarily reflect the positions of the organization, YES - Europe or its sub-group YES - Europe Greece.
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