Brussels Meetings 19-21 February 2013
Research and Management Coordinator Sonja Zuber attended several meetings in Brussels this month. One was the SEE Bankwatch Network events regarding the contests for best citizens’ sustainable project proposals: ‘Better ideas for EU funds’. Ms. Zuber was a jury member in the Macedonian contest.
Research and Management Coordinator Sonja Zuber attended several meetings in Brussels this month. One was the SEE Bankwatch Network events regarding the contests for best citizens’ sustainable project proposals: ‘Better ideas for EU funds’. Ms. Zuber was a jury member in the Macedonian contest. This competition was carried out in eight countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Macedonia, Poland and Slovakia) with the main purpose of: Demonstrating that citizens can actively participate in the process of EU Budget spending through grassroots initiatives and small-scale projects; To encourage citizens to actively participate in the process of programming of funds for the next programming period 2014-2020. The events in Brussels were for presenting the winning projects to the EU institutions and for advocating additional funds for them.
Further, on the 21st of February Sonja Zuber attended the Workshop: ‘European Energy Community Strategy: Political, Economic and Environmental Challenges in South East Europe’, organized by Policy Department DG EXPO for the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) and the Delegation for relations with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro ad Kosovo – DSEE, which was held at the European Parliament. The aim of the workshop was to debate the 2012 Energy Strategy of the Energy Community, developed in July 2012 and adopted in October 2012. The main points discussed there were:
-the amount of investments in energy predicted for the Western Balkans by 2020 in EUR is 27.9 billion (28.8 with Moldova).
-the majority of the Environmental Acquis is not under the Energy Community Treaty.
-there is no definition of vulnerable customers and currently there are regulated prices for everyone in the regional energy strategy.
-the 3rd energy package will have to be implemented by SEE countries by 2015.
-the sustainability criteria for the PECIs (energy projects under the Regional Energy Strategy for all the signatory countries) will be: RES contribution; replacing old and inefficient infrastructure; contribution to national GHG targets.
-24th of April 2013 will be an Open Door day in Belgrade along with the Social Forum, as part of the consultation on the PECIs organized by the Energy Community Treaty Secretariat.
-there will be a possibility to comment on barriers to implementation as well as the projects themselves at this event.
