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South Eastern Europe
Integrated Environmental Policies
Water Governance
Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Land Management
Energy and Climate Change
Most countries in the region are net importers of energy. The energy sector represents one of the most important and most polluting sectors of the economy. The main domestic sources of electricity generation in the region are lignite and hydropower, whose share varies from country to country. Lignite-fired power plants, and the oil and oil derivatives industries, are among the most severe polluters in the region. Hydro power plants transform the hydrology and ecology of the rivers on which they are located. Natural gas and oil derivatives are mostly imported. Wood is used extensively as a furnace fuel in low-efficiency stoves that release greenhouse gases and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons that create cancer risks. Changing weather patterns are creating droughts, floods, and forest fires in the region. All countries in South Eastern Europe are parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change of 1992. Albania, Croatia, Macedonia FYR, and Montenegro ratified the Kyoto Protocol between 2004 and 2007; other countries are in the process of preparing its ratification. Although the absolute and per capita contribution of the region to global greenhouse gas emissions is relatively small, there are significant opportunities for emission reductions. Countries can reduce their current high energy needs, lower their reliance on brown coal for energy production, increase energy efficiency of the domestic sector, and invest in renewable resources such as solar, biomass, hydro, and wind. If the region can take advantage of these opportunities, it could benefit immensely from emissions trading (Croatia) and the Clean Development Mechanism.[back to top] |
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The countries of South Eastern Europe have made substantial progress in developing legal and policy reforms in the area of environmental protection, most of it linked to EU accession. The establishment of appropriate institutional infrastructures often remains a challenge. For acceptance and effective implementation of the multilateral environmental agreements (MEA), countries still face lack of sufficient resources and adequate administrative capacity. The quality of South Eastern Europe’s nature and environment is high, but in order to preserve this status, the concept of sustainable development must be integrated into mainstream economic and social development policies. Corruption, a lack of transparency, and little public participation in planning and decision making have been identified as important obstacles to policy development and its implementation. The level of communication and coordination among government institutions, i.e., different ministries, needs to be strengthened..jpg)
Since 2002, floods in Europe have caused a number of deaths, the displacement of about half a million people, and cost at least 25 billion Euro in insured economic losses. In addition to wet weather conditions, poor river basin management contributes to flooding in the region. Furthermore, water leakages from distribution networks are frequent in many South Eastern countries. It is common that more than one third of the supplied water is lost before delivery. Waste water in South Eastern Europe is not treated but discharged directly to receiving waters, either because there is no waste water treatment plant, or because existing plants don’t function properly. In general, many South Eastern countries show a significant decline in water quality monitoring over the last 15 years. 
Biodiversity is under serious threat in South Eastern Europe, particularly in farmland, mountain regions, and coastal zones. The loss of biodiversity happens primarily because of land use changes, urban sprawl, infrastructure development, acidification, eutrophication, desertification, overexploitation, the intensification and/or abandonment of agriculture, and climate change. As a result, more than 700 European species are currently under threat; 43 percent of European bird species have an unfavorable conservation status, and the situation has deteriorated throughout the region since 2000. Coastal zones, rivers, and wetlands face the most threats in the short term; in the long term, mountain meadow ecosystems are also vulnerable. Biodiversity is an important asset that the region is bringing to the EU, but it is threatened by the rapid economic development and societal changes of the last decade. 