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Author: WeBalkans

2022 ‘Green Energy Days’ in Kosovo

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

As part of the ‘Europeanisation of Kosovo’s Environmental Agenda’ initiative, the 2022 Green Energy Days initiative are taking place between 16 and 22 May in Kosovo. The initiative is funded by the European Union Office in Kosovo and implemented by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) Kosovo, CEE Bankwatch, ERA Group, and TV Mreža.

 

The initiative supports the proactive participation of Kosovo civil society, media and environmental activists in policy reform and decision-making on energy, the environment and public health. The aim of the project is to help Kosovo bring its environmental policies closer to EU legislation and to foster dialogue between civil society organisations, the media, activists and the public sector.

   

The Green Energy Days are being hosted by BIRN and its partners for the second time. The purpose of the multiday activity is to provide a necessary spotlight on the importance of energy efficiency, environmental protection and public health, especially to relevant officials. This year, the Green Energy Days will host numerous activities that will contribute to best green energy practices in Kosovo.

2022 Young European Heritage Makers competition announced

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Young European Heritage Makers is a competition for the young people of Europe, including young people from the Western Balkans. It is an opportunity for them to explore their surroundings, identify the most interesting parts of their heritage and present them to the rest of the world.  
This competition should encourage young people to understand the concept of heritage and express their views. This year’s theme is “Sustainable Heritage”.  
The competition is part of the European Heritage Days. With up to 70,000 events organised each year in the European states signatory to the European Cultural Convention and an estimated 30 million visitors, this joint action of the Council of Europe and of the European Commission is a unique example of a grass-roots initiative organised and shared by millions of people living in Europe.

EIB grant of up to €2.9 million to improve education in Montenegro

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A grant of up to €2.9 million will be provided to the government of Montenegro by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the bank of the European Union, to accelerate the modernisation of the national education system. It will be used for the upgrade, construction and reconstruction of pre-school, school and vocational school infrastructure in the country and will cover technical and advisory support for project preparation and the public procurement process, and for developing national monitoring and evaluation standards. It will accelerate upgrades that are expected to create an additional 2,070 school places across Montenegro, and 530 new full-time jobs.
 
The operation supports the ongoing modernisation of the national education system as part of the €18 million Montenegrin education programme, which the EIB agreed with Montenegro in 2019. The programme finances the procurement of modern equipment and the construction and renovation of public education infrastructure, including kindergartens, primary, secondary and vocational schools, as well as the provision of information and communications technology (ICT) equipment and school furniture. The grant stems from the Economic Resilience Initiative, which aims to support economic growth, job creation, social cohesion and the development of vital infrastructure projects in the Western Balkans.

The coal regions programme launches exchanges between Western Balkans and EU

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The coal regions exchange programme has launched six exchanges between areas in the Western Balkans and their EU counterparts. These provide an opportunity for these regions to start one-to-one dialogues and learn from each other’s experiences in moving away from coal as part of the transition to clean energy.

 

A total of 32 applications, representing a diverse geographic spread, were submitted for participation in the programme. Based on expert assessments, 14 of these have been grouped together to form six sets of exchange partners, who are currently preparing their exchanges. A further two sets were foreseen, each of them co-led by Ukrainian applicants, but have temporarily been put on hold.

 

Three exchanges will start in spring 2022, and the detailed planning and preparation of the other three will start in the second part of the year. Guided by dedicated exchange facilitators, programme participants are now developing precise roadmaps for their exchanges. These will feature either one or two in-person visits, which will be planned in advance through virtual interactions and discussions where the regions can solidify their relationship, ideally leading to fruitful cooperation beyond this programme.

 

The exchange programme is one of the key activities of the Initiative for coal regions in transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine, which aims to help regions to move away from coal towards a carbon-neutral economy, ensuring this transition is just. It is managed by the European Commission and six collaborating international partners: the College of Europe in Natolin, the Energy Community Secretariat, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, Poland’s National Fund for Environment Protection and Water Management, and the World Bank.

Introducing Herzegovinian garlic to the world

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A company from Bosnia and Herzegovina has become a regional market leader in garlic production with the support of an EU-funded project.

Over 300 sunny days a year and a land rich in limestone are just some of the features that distinguish the terrain around the town of Ljubinje in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Decades ago, the fields in Ljubinje were planted with Herzegovinian tobacco, which offered a decent living for the population of this region thanks to its quality. However, due to the decline in the domestic tobacco industry, farmers have had to diversify their product.

As the land is very fertile, they have not had much trouble doing that, focusing on garlic which has been produced and used in the region for centuries as a healthy ingredient for cooking, but also in fighting disease. The business opportunity offered by garlic was noticed by Farmavit, a company from the Ljubinje region who decided to try not only farming but also processing this product for distribution to wider markets.

“Analysis by world-famous institutions has shown that Herzegovinian garlic is ranked in the top five in the world in terms of quality and its impact on health.”

Modern technology for improving production

Stefan Šalvarica is the manager responsible for garlic production and processing at the company, which he joined in 2020. The company was founded in the year 2000, and at the beginning their focus was on the production of cattle food. However, seeing the potential for the production of a range of other crops, they decided to try something that would be more interesting and appeal to wider markets. “Analysis by world-famous institutions has shown that Herzegovinian garlic is ranked in the top five in the world in terms of quality and its impact on health,” says Stefan.

Today, Farmavit is the leading company for garlic production in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with most of their produce allocated for export, including to the EU. On the path to this success, they were also supported by the EU-funded, UNDP-implemented EU4 Business initiative. With this support, the company resolved a major issue with heat sources, as well as a problem with the steam generated in the thermal treatment process of garlic, which had made production more difficult. “With ventilation and air conditioning of our facility, we now get rid of steam in a few minutes. Also, in the past, a significant share of the work was done manually but now, with the help of new machines, the processes of filling, labelling and closing jars has been improved and accelerated,” explains Stefan.

The company has its own garlic plantations, but also buys certain quantities from its subcontractors in Herzegovina.  After the purchase, the garlic is sent for analysis before it is made into products available to customers on the shelves of supermarkets in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the “Scent of Herzegovina” brand.

“Thanks to the EU4Business project, we’ve succeeded in improving working conditions and productivity, reducing costs and offering unique products for our customers. As we’ve improved garlic production, our annual quantities has gone up by 10 tonnes.”

About the project

EU4Business is an EU project that aims to strengthen Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capacity for economic growth and employment by fostering competitiveness and innovation in selected sectors. It has a budget of €16.1 million: €15 million funded by the European Union and €1.1 million by the Federal Republic of Germany.

EU4Business is part of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)’s Local Development Strategies – Local Self-Government and Economic Development Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Stefan further explains that they also produce garlic purée and marinades consisting of garlic with spices, olive and sunflower oil. In addition, thanks to the EU4Business project, they now produce so-called black garlic.Black garlic results from the process of fermenting fresh garlic. In this process of accelerated aging, the garlic changes colour and caramelises and its properties are enhanced. This type of garlic is highly valued on the world market and with the purchase of a fermentation machine, thanks to the support of the EU, the Farmavit company became the only producer of this type of garlic in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Thanks to the support of the EU4Business project, we’ve succeeded in improving working conditions and productivity, reducing costs and offering unique products for our customers. As we’ve improved garlic production, our annual quantities has gone up by 10 tonnes,” says Stefan.

As well as plans for new marinades, and the placement of both black garlic and fresh garlic on the international market, the Farmavit company continues to invest in major plans to retain their market leader position. “We have invested additional funds of our own in the purchase of equipment that will help us in the production of gelatine capsules filled with garlic extract. We will be the first company in the region to produce dietary supplements of this type,” says Stefan with satisfaction.

The Farmavit company was supported through the EU4Business project with BAM 150,000, while the value of the investment totalled BAM 300,000.

7th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region

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Today, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, opened the 7th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region   (EUSAIR) with a video-message. The two-day forum, taking place in Tirana under the EUSAIR Presidency of Albania, will focus on issues including the challenges of energy security and climate change, transport policies, investment opportunities in the Adriatic and Ionian macroregion and facilitating EU enlargement in the Western Balkans.

 

Commissioner Ferreira said: “I am happy to see that the EUSAIR Annual Forum is taking place during the European Year of Youth in the European Capital of Youth, Tirana. Young people are a key driver for regional cooperation, reconciliation and peacebuilding and I very much encourage the set-up of a EUSAIR Youth Council so that youth living in the Adriatic and Ionian macroregion can exchange about their challenges and have a say about their future.”

The EUSAIR Ministerial Meeting Ministers will adopt the ‘Tirana Declaration’ to mainly express their solidarity with Ukraine condemning the invasion by Russia, while also calling on the EU to accelerate the accession process to the EU of the Western Balkan region. During the event, the ‘EUSAIR Young business model Popri’  will be awarded to the best entrepreneurial ideas among young people from the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion.

 

The EUSAIR, launched in October 2014, covers a macroregion of more than 70 million people in four Member States (Croatia, Greece, Italy, Slovenia) and six non-EU countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and San Marino), among which five of them are from the Western Balkans, cooperating to overcome common challenges in four pillars: ‘Blue Growth’, ‘Connecting the Region’ (Transport and Energy), ‘Environmental Quality’ and ‘Sustainable Tourism’. See the programme of the event.

EU supports greener buildings in Prizren, Kosovo

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The European Union will provide a €1 million investment grant to Kosovo to help it improve the energy efficiency of public buildings such as kindergartens, schools and primary healthcare facilities in the city of Prizren. Complementing the EU grant, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending a €5 million sovereign loan for this project, implemented under the Regional Energy Efficiency Programme (REEP/REEP Plus) for the Western Balkans.

 

The project agreement was signed by Kosovo ‘s Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati, and Alain Pilloux, EBRD Vice President for Banking, at the Kosovo Investment Outlook Session of the EBRD’s Annual Meeting and Business Forum in Morocco.

 

Kosovo’s green transition is being supported though a number of pre-agreed financing frameworks. For energy-efficiency projects such as the one in Prizren, grants are provided via the WBIF Regional Energy Efficiency Programme, which is backed by the EU, bilateral donors and the beneficiaries themselves. The REEP/REEP Plus is identified in the European Commission’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans as one of the flagship projects for clean energy. Such projects contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and improve the living standards and health of citizens. The activities under REEP/REEP Plus are in line with the EU Regulation and Green Agenda Targets for the Western Balkans, following the five pillars of the European Green Deal.

RCC hosts Western Balkans ministerial conference on tourism development

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On 12 May the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) organised a ministerial conference in Tirana on tourism development in the Western Balkans. The event gathered ministers in charge of tourism from the Western Balkans, representatives of the European Commission and other relevant stakeholders in the tourism sector. Under the title “Lifting Barriers for Sustainable Tourism Development” the event served as a discussion forum on the topics of importance to the region’s tourism.

 

The event was opened by RCC Secretary General, Majlinda Bregu; Minister of Tourism and Environment of Albania, Mirela Kumbaro; Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj; and Acting Head of the European Delegation to Albania, Alexis Hupin. Panellists on four thematic panels included Tatjana Matić, Serbia’s Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunication; Kreshnik Bekteshi, North Macedonia’s Minister of Economy; Staša Košarac, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations; Rozeta Hajdari, Kosovo’s Minister of Trade and Industry; and Aleksandra Gardašević-Slavuljica, Director General  at Montenegro’s Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism.

 

A side event on “Mastering the current challenges in the tourism industry” is to take place on 13 May gathering Western Balkans tour operators, policy makers and national tourism organisations, who will discuss tourism industry challenges and the way forward in improving the region’s tourism offer.

Chopin Piano FEST in Kosovo with big Classical Music names

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One of the most important festivals of classical music in Kosovo, Chopin Piano FEST Prishtina, opened this year on Europe Day, 9 May, with a concert by world-renowned pianist Martin Garcia Garcia. The festival will bring to Kosovan audiences more than 15 concerts, masterclasses, workshops, competitions for instrumentalists and composers, and other cultural activities.

 

Another special feature of this year’s edition of Chopin Piano FEST Prishtina is the participation of the festival in the SYNERGY program supported by the European Union through the Creative Europe programme.

 

The 12th edition of the festival continues to invite great musicians to perform in Priština/ Prishtina. “This year too we will have well-known pianists such as François Dumont, Florian Uhlig and Stefan Vladar performing at the festival,” says Prof. Lejla Haxhiu Pula, the festival’s President and Artistic Director.

 

The festival ends on 8 June.

EIB provides €300,000 to accelerate energy security and green transition in BiH

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The European Investment Bank (EIB), the lending arm of the EU, is providing a €300,000 grant to Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine to conduct an environmental assessment of the Vlašić site for a new windfarm. This technical assistance will facilitate the construction of a 50 MW windfarm in the Travnik region, which will support the transition to renewable, secure and sustainable energy resources, as well as the decarbonisation of the local and Western Balkan economy. This is the second grant agreed for Bosnia and Herzegovina under the new EIB Global branch and demonstrates the Bank’s determination to scale up its technical and financial support for addressing the country’s most urgent needs and green transition process.

 

Under the Western Balkans Investment Framework, the EIB has already provided around €655,000 in grants. The funds are being used for developing the feasibility study for the construction of the Vlašić windfarm, including wind analysis, geographical research, research in the field of zero carbon emissions, a study on social impact, and the preparation of tender documentation. Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis in February 2020, the EIB has unlocked €658 million in loans for Bosnia and Herzegovina and six grants to support the country’s sustainable development.