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Re: Oil Pipelines Fuel Balkan Dreams Over Overnight Riches

24 11 2006  We read with interest your article on oil pipelines in the Balkans, and are surprised to see that investments into energy efficiency and renewable energy sources were not mentioned, given their large but underdeveloped potential in the region.

Not everyone in the Balkans is dreaming of overnight riches from transit tariffs: Research* carried out by Stability Pact Watch (SPW)**, a network of South-East European environmental NGOs, shows that current investments in fossil fuel and nuclear infrastructure crowd out investments into energy efficiency and renewables in the region and that considerable legal and financial barriers for renewables remain in several countries. Building new fossil fuel and nuclear infrastructure also exacerbates the threats posed by climate change, energy dependency, rising oil and gas prices, accidents and pollution, whereas a massive shift towards investing in energy efficiency and renewables could help to ensure energy independence and sustainability for the region.

Last but not least, in public discourse on energy issues in SEE we would like to see more up-to-date information about the heated global discussion on climate change and the environmental and social impacts of nuclear and fossil fuel projects, for the region and globally.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information,

Yours faithfully,

Fidanka Bacheva McGrath

Stability Pact Watch

* Stability Pact Watch: Arrested Development: Energy Efficiency and Renewables in the Balkans, May 2005 http://www.bankwatch.org/project.shtml?apc=--153965c--1&x=260179&d=n

Stability Pact Watch: Balkan Energy Future: Fossil fuel dependency vs. energy efficiency and renewable energy, April 2006
http://www.bankwatch.org/balkan_energy/

**Stability Pact Watch is an initiative of CEE Bankwatch Network
www.bankwatch.org