(009) BEYOND DEPENDENCE: HOW TO DEAL WITH RUSSIAN GAS

Author(s): Pierre Noël / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2008

The gas relationship with Russia has become an extremely contentious issue among EU Member States. It is a major reason for the EU’s failure to develop the common policy approach towards Moscow it so badly needs. Yet the relationship is often misunderstood. Russia is the largest external gas supplier to the EU, but it is far from a monopoly provider. Since 1980, Europe’s diversification of its gas supply has seen Russia’s share of EU gas imports roughly halve, from 80% to 40%. Russian gas represents just 6.5% of the EU primary energy supply, a figure that has remained essentially unchanged over 20 years. And contrary to widely held belief, Russian gas exports to Europe are unlikely to increase significantly in the foreseeable future. So calls for Europe to diversify its energy supply even further miss the point. The problem is divisiveness, not dependence. Russian gas is divisive because Europe’s gas market is dysfunctional and segmented. Most of the EU’s imports of Russian gas go to a few countries in western Europe, where supply is diversified, while several Member States in central and eastern Europe consume relatively little Russian gas but have no other external suppliers. Only the emergence of a single competitive European gas market can create real solidarity between consumers and ‘Europeanise’ the current large bilateral contracts between European importers and Gazprom.To address the specific concerns of central and eastern European Member States, the EU should build on the 2004 directive on security of supply in natural gas, and help these Member States devise and implement national action plans for gas security.

2015 PARİS İKLİM DEĞİŞİKLİĞİ KONFERANSI ÇERÇEVESİNDE NÜKLEER ENERJİ: BİR ÇÖZÜM MÜ, YOKSA BİR SORUN MU?

Author(s): F. Orçun Keçeci / Language(s): Turkish / Issue: 2/2017

Climate change is a global issue for not only developing countries but also advanced industrial societies. Consuming more fossil fuels by emitting carbon dioxide (CO2) results in climate change and this problem stems from human activities. Global warming caused by climate change threatens ecological balance and the whole humanity. Despite having divergences and problems among states, world countries have been trying to tackle climate change in the international arena in the recent years. One of the most crucial issues to mitigate climate change risks at the Paris Climate Conference on November 2015 is particularly on nuclear energy. In this context, this paper aims to analyse whether nuclear energy will contribute to climate change or not.

3rd Network Conference Adaptation and Implementation of the EU -Acquis: an Exchange of Experiences

Author(s): / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2009

A flashback: North Atlantic treaty organization in year 2000

Author(s): John D. Deville / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2017

North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a framework agreement which requires a wide cooperation between the signatory countries. This agreement and its formation: NATO, not only prevents the attacks to the member countries or provides the efficiency to get rid of the attack when it appears, but also requires a work and solidarity in political, economical and social arena.This agreement’s signatory countries are obligated to defend the peace and international security to develop and protect the stability and wealth in the field of North Atlantic Treaty Organization with getting the necessary strength from the NATO laws. According to the agreement signatories are again obligated to solve the eco-political problems and to increase the cooperation between them.

A Model for the Operationalization and Implementation of the Precautionary Principle: Cyanide-Leach Technology and Gold Mining Development

Author(s): Nahide Konak / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2009

Mining development provides tremendous amount of long-term environmental and community degradation all over the world. Often, local communities bear the burden. This article demonstrates how the Bergama environmental network has utilized international environmental treaties with a focus on precautionary principle in order to halt the cyanide-leach Ovacik gold mine project in Turkey. The network has not only operated under the principle of precaution, but it has also defined and illustrated how the precautionary principle could be operationalized and implemented in practice in mining industry. By doing so, the Bergama environmental network developed a model for the operationalization and implementation of the precautionary principle in mining sector. In contrast to risk assessment that focus on the question of what level of contamination is safe, the precautionary approach focus on the question of how to reduce or eliminate the hazards and considers all the possible means of achieving that goal---including forgoing the proposed activity. This network has been promoting precautionary principle instead of risk assessment in mining nationwide. This model can be utilized by other communities dealing with mining developments in order to make the companies and their states to adopt and implement the precautionary principle. This article is based on a larger research project that has been taking place since 2002 on Ovacik gold mine development in Bergama. It relies on data that comes from interviews, focus group discussions with local community residents and field notes as well as books and documents prepared by the network and local newspapers that covered the case extensively.

Adapting to climate change in New York City and regulatory background

Author(s): Elif Çolakoglu / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2016

The catastrophic effects of climate change can be seen in New York City (“NYC”) today. As of now, the NYC as a coastal city has faced different climate risks such as heat waves and storm surges, which affect everyday life citywide, and, if current trends continue, they will become more frequent and severe. Hurricane Sandy which has devastated the East Coast is just the latest example. To strengthen its resilience, the NYC Administration comes forward particularly in this regard to commissioning expert scientific advice, formulating policy goals, setting standards and developing new institutions for environmental governance and sustainability. Locally, through PlaNYC, the City’s sustainability plan, the NYC Administration has pursued several initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with mostly 30 percent below current levels by 2030. Since 2002, the Administration stands out challenging climate change and its initiatives which are the examples of best practices at the municipal level. In this framework, this study describes the comprehensive effort to reduce GHG emissions, as well as provides NYC’s climate change projections and some of the potential risks to the NYC’s critical infrastructure posed by climate change. Also local legal documents determining the City’s climate policy and offering significant opportunities for implementation is examined.

AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN POLICIES IN NANOTECHNOLOGY PATENTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS RELATED ISSUES

Author(s): Abul Bashar Mohammad Abu Noman,Ekram Uddin Khan Chowdhury / Language(s): / Issue: 17/2015

Intellectual Property (IP) has become one of the most important assets of knowledge-based economies in the present world. In this sense Patents can be seen as the outcome indicators of applied research and technological advancement. The nano-world is full of surprise and potential. Like other present technologies, nanotechnology is not merely a part of a distant future, but also a significant technology, and its patenting system is much more complex than any other objects in the area of science. As it is a nascent technology, it may pose problems and opportunities for IP regimes. Nanotechnology patents are not treated differently than other patents, but it is true that more complex technology usually creates more complex problems within the patent system. This article surveys the different application of nanotechnology and human rights issues and tries to address its complex patenting system and future challenges in the European context.

An Analysis of the "Bio" / "Eco" Products Market, Referring to the EU and Romania

Author(s): Ionel Bostan / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2016

The EU and Canada represent the largest market in the world for the sale of ecological products attracting exports from many third countries and recording a total sale of 95% of the worldwide total market. The European market for ecological products – also known as “bio” / “eco” – in absolute figures – is somewhere around 20 billiards euro/year, and in the case of Romania, the market for those products varies around 200 million euro/year. According to European legislation, there are harmonized provisions and procedures for the import of ecological products which can be implemented in two ways: either by complying with the EU legislation on ecologic products, or based on the equivalence between the existent standards and control systems. In many European countries, the operators on such a market obey the rules established by Legislation for ecologic productions strictly. In Romania, a sanctioning system against those economic operators who fraudulently use product labels suggesting they are organic products has just recently been considered. Taking into consideration all these aspects, the present paper relies on the most recent bibliographic and statistical references in this field.

An inexhaustible source of income? The significance of Belarusian refineries and the outlook for the future

Author(s): Kamil Klysinski,Wojciech Kononczuk / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2012

Belarus generated a surplus at US$1.9 billion in foreign trade in goods and services in the first four months of 2012 as compared to a deficit of US$2.8 billion for the same timeframe a year earlier. Minsk owes this, its highest positive trade balance since 1991, mainly to a significant increase in exports of petroleum products manufactured by the refineries in Navapolatsk and Mazyr.This is a consequence of the favourable contract for supplies of Russian oil until 2015 which Belarus signed in December last year. This contract has resulted in a de facto resumption of Russia subsidising Belarus. The favourable conditions of Russian oil supplies will allow the Belarusian refineries to remain the driving force of the country’s economy, and the Belarusian government will not allow them to be privatised, which Russia has been seeking for years. The two refineries initiated an ambitious modernisation programme, which is aimed at increasing their output and improving the quality of their production. Owing to this, their share in the market of petroleum products in the region, including on the Polish market, may grow within the next few years.

ANALIZA STRATEGII ROZWOJU TRANSPORTU NA RZECZ REDUKCJI EMISJI CO2

Author(s): Urszula Motowidlak / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 42/2/2015

Transport is one of the most difficult sectors to control CO2 emissions. Increase in traffic and present trends in the automotive industry and individual driving style are an increasing source of CO2 emissions that cause climate change despite technological advances in the automotive field. Thanks to the integrated development plans, transport sector can clearly contribute to the decarbonisation of the economy. Development of transport, from the perspective of the objectives of the climate and energy policy, requires the use of a variety of policies and instruments that will lead to the reduction of CO2 emissions generated by this sector.

Analysis of Legal and Theoretical Framework Creating the Methodology of Visual Pollution Assessment for Natural Landscapes

Author(s): Jurate Kamicaityte-Virbašiene,Giedre Godiene / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2015

Fulfilling the requirements of European Landscape Convention and following the statements of the National Landscape Policy of the Republic of Lithuania in 2014 the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania intitiated the creation of Methodology of the Assessment of Visual Pollution to Natural Landscape Complexes and Objects. In order to prepare the Methodology legal and theoretical framework of visual impact assessment (VIA) was analyzed and evaluated. Summarizing the analysis of the legal framework it can be said that national legislation requires the avoidance of visual pollution, but there are no recommendations how to evaluate visual impact. Foreign countries in the field of VIA, unlike Lithuania, have validated concepts of landscape visual quality and planned activity or object visual impact assessment; methodological recommendations of VIA, based as much as possible on principles of objectivity and systematicity, which are used in practical activities of planning and design. Methodologies used by Lithuanian authors are well developed theoretically and intended for the overall evaluation of landscape visual quality or VIA, designation of landscape visual quality classes, evaluation of visual spaces (VS) indicators, establishment of VS visual resistance and sensitivity. Parts of some works can be used for creation of methodology of visual pollution (negative visual impact) assessment.

Analyze of the Air Quality in Belgrade City During the Period September 2010 - September 2011

Author(s): Tatjana Ðekic / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2013

In this paper are in detail analyzed values for air quality that have been extracted in monitoring sites in Belgrade since September first in 2010 until September first in 2011. Values extracted in the stations Square Slavija and Despot Stefan Boulevard was analyzed. The main task of this paper is to present the inferred air quality, while the main aim represents the checking of obtained data in respect to limit pollution values. Analyses were done for annual, seasonal, monthly and daily values.

Anthropogenic Impacts on the Stability of the Forest Ecosystems in Belgrade – Comparative Analysis of Košutnjak Forest and Zvezdarska Forest

Author(s): Dragana Raškovic / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2015

In this paper will be analyzed the environmental status of the two recently protected forest areas in Belgrade – Košutnjak forest and Zvezdarska forest. Due to their specific position inside the urban structure, these park forests are exposed to the high level of pollution and degradation originating from anthropogenic sources. This paper will include all present forms of threats to the stability of these ecosystems, both in their immediate surroundings, as well as within their borders. For clear presentation of the devastating anthropogenic impact on the protected forest ecosystems remote sensing – NDVI analysis of the appropriate satelite image segments will be performed in order to detect the differences of the state of vegetation covers registrated in 1986 and 2010. According to the need for efficient management system for the affected natural areas in the urban structure, in the end will be presented concrete protection measures, whose continuous application can bring to the progradation of their state.

Application LCA for eco-efficiency assessment of investments projects

Author(s): Joanna Kulczycka,Marzena Smol / Language(s): English / Issue: 16/2015

Eco-efficiency which takes into account the life cycle idea is a relatively new concept described by ISO International Standard 14045:2012. It can be used in environmental management by integration environmental considerations with economic analysis to improve products and technologies. Nowadays, eco-efficiency is a strategic tool and it is one of the key factors of it sustainable development. In the investment decision-making process, to assess new technology solutions and to choose the best options, the eco-efficiency account should be introduced. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a method used to assess environmental aspects and quantified impacts of investment project is proposed. Life cycle cost analysis being the combination of Net present value (NPV) with life cycle cost (LCC) was chosen for quantifying their financial effects. The eco-efficiency analysis based on LCA can be recommended not only as a decision support tool for individual investors, but also for ranking of investment projects when applying of financial support from structural or other national funds, as well in sustainable public procurement.

Application Of Eu Comparative Tourism Sustainability Indicators — The City Of Užice Case Study (Serbia)

Author(s): Maja Mijatov,Marija Peric,Slobodanka Markovic / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2016

Continuous and mass tourism development resulted in the need of putting this activity under sustainable development, in order to provide adequate usage of tourist potentials for meeting the current and future travel needs. Sustainable tourism is a form of tourism that contributes economic development of local communities with taking care of permanent environment protection. The subject of this research is tourism on the territory of the City of Užice, analyzed through the application of EU five group comparative indicators, in order to determine the current position of sustainability. The research also covered the following tourist places: Mokra Gora and Užice in Southwestern Serbia. Method of analysis and synthesis, mathematical-statistical method and comparative method were used. The collected data were analyzed by using the method of descriptive statistics. The research results show unequal tourism development in the City of Užice, precisely to the fact that tourism sustainability in tourist places (Mokra Gora and Užice) is different compared to the destination itself. Beside the contribution to the theory of sustainable tourism development, the results can also have a practical application within Užice tourist organizations, which may have a significant impact on destination sustainability in the future

Are hydroelectric power plants really renewable? A comparative study in Turkey, UNFCCC and European law

Author(s): Gonca Yilmaz / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2016

In international environmental literature, hydroelectric power plants (HEPs) are considered as renewable or green energy for a long time. As it can be observed in Turkey, since some countries give “green/renewable energy credits” for HEPs and subsidize them, it will be valuable to evaluate this matter in detail, analyzing legal shortcomings and making proposals to avoid environmental harm caused by HEPs. This paper assesses the misuse of the “green/renewable energy” term for HEPs in Turkey, in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and in some other countries. It proposes that the renewable energy category should be amended and HEPs should not be considered as renewable energy automatically.

Around the Bloc: Coal-Tainted Air Smothers Kosovo

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 02/13/2018

Government says that after years of promising to shutter a filthy power plant, real action is on the horizon.

Around the Bloc: German MEP Could Become ‘Persona Non Grata’ in Bulgaria

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 02/13/2018

Coalition partner says ‘green jihadist’ should be kicked out of the country for interfering in domestic affairs.

Around the Bloc: Heavy Floods Batter Albania

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 12/05/2017

Prime minister says country now in recovery mode, vows to legislate mandatory flood insurance.

Around the Bloc: Poland Gives Go-Ahead To Controversial Logging Program

Author(s): TOL TOL / Language(s): English / Issue: 04/05/2016

The plans to allow large-scale logging in the Bialowieza forest are likely to put the country on a collision course with environmentalists and the European Union.