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Policy Tracker: EU and Russia’s Energy Policy at the Backdrop of the South Stream Pipeline

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The present paper aims at tracking the development of the South Stream gas pipeline project from the perspectives of the EU and Russia, and in the context of the common EU external energy policy. The EU-Russia energy dialogue has become increasingly complicated since the two natural gas crises in 2006 and 2009, when the gas supply was cut for about two weeks due to a gas pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine. Until then the energy relations between Europe and Russia have run smoothly as Gazprom had been perceived as a reliable supplier operating under long-term, oil-indexed contracts providing predictability of supplied volumes and prices. For producers such as Russia operating in a glut market, the most important goal was to preserve their market share in Europe. An eventual supply disruption would discredit suppliers and will push consumers look for more viable alternatives.

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№167. Post-mortem on Europe’s first war of the 21st century

Author(s): Michael Emerson / Language(s): English

The small war between Georgia and Russia from 8 to 22 August 2008 has shattered any remaining illusions over the frontiers of the normative map of Europe. All the primary parties have to be criticised: Russia for setting a trap for Saakashvili to fall into, the Georgian leadership for its astounding military and political blunder in falling into it, and the United States for having failed to restrain its protégé. The first consequence is that Georgia has paid the price of Saakashvili’s folly, with the definitive loss of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The second consequence is triggered by Russia’s continued occupation of strategic points in Georgia-proper, which means not peacekeeping but threatened strangulation of the Georgian economy and its role in the transit of oil and gas from the Caspian to the West. It also means that business as usual has become impossible, as already announced between NATO and Russia, and with more important decisions pending in both the EU and US. The third consequence is that the EU should immediately step up its policies to integrate Ukraine, with real perspectives of membership subject to the standard criteria. The fourth unknown consequence is how far this deteriorating process between Russia and the West will go. Russia may pretend, with its petropower and wealth, to be immune from any actions by the West, but beyond the short-term it is vulnerable. Whatever these unknowns, already Russia has crossed a red line with its strategic occupation of Georgia-proper, rather than the option just to push Georgia out of South Ossetia. This latter option would have met with widespread understanding internationally. But with its chosen option Russia has placed itself in another category, which is a throwback to earlier times, and totally incompatible with the political and moral principles of modern Europe.

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Media note: Energy in(security): the parliament’s decision on the South Stream pipeline increases the risks for Bulgaria’s energy security

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The decision of the Bulgarian Parliament from 4 April 2014 to adopt at first reading the amendments in the Energy Law, which grants South Stream special status highlights the lack of logic in the national energy policy and compounds the impression that public interest is not the driving force behind the proposed changes.

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Addressing Environmental Crimes and Marine Pollution in the EU: Legal guidelines and case studies

Author(s): Nicola Giovannini,Luigi Melica,Entela Cukani,Marco Giannotta,Malena Zingoni / Language(s): English

The purpose of this handbook is to provide to judges, prosecutors, forensic officers and other legal practitioners an overview of the existing European and international instruments and rules aimed at tackling environmental crimes and in particular marine pollution, as well as an analysis of the challenges faced in their implementation and enforcement process.

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Addressing Environmental Crimes and Marine Pollution in the EU: Compendium of International and EU Law Instruments

Author(s): Nicola Giovannini,Luigi Melica,Marco Giannotta,Malena Zingoni / Language(s): English

This publication draws upon the materials of a training course for legal professionals from selected EU Member States as well as countries on the road to EU membership, geographically located along the coast of the Adriatic sea (namely Italy, Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia), which was organised by the Department of Legal Studies of the University of Salento, in partnership with The Center for the Study of Democracy and Droit au Droit. The purpose of the training sessions, held in Lecce, Italy, and Sofia, Bulgaria, was to train legal professionals on the EU legislation and jurisprudence on environmental crimes in order to strengthen their knowledge and competence in the sector as well as their capacity to contribute to their effective enforcement. It contains a presentation of the most relevant international treaties and conventions related to the matter as well as of the comprehensive legal framework established by the EU to ensure the implementation of its environmental protection policy. This publication is a part of the “Judicial Training and Research on European crimes against the environment and maritime pollution” project, supported by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice.

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Media Note: Energy Saving Technologies in the Bulgarian Residential Sector

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The growing consumer prices of electricity have remained at the center of public debates over the past months, especially following their increase last year by 13%. Even though the regulated market supresses their growth, prices have steadily increased since 2005, both in Bulgaria and in the EU. In Bulgaria, the liberalization will most likely cause an additional short-term increase in consumer prices, before open competition exerts enough pressure on the market to perform better and eventually bring prices down. In the context of these developments, measures aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings are becoming increasingly popular.

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Media Note: Why Electricity Bills in Bulgaria Spoiled the Party

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The so-called “green” premium - a market entry subsidy for renewable energy sources - was used as a convenient explanation for recent increases to the electricity bills in 2012. However, as time went by, consumers realized that a substantial part of their bills has been determined by another expense - the ”bad governance premium”, which, together with the forthcoming parliamentary elections and the increase of energy consumption during the winter, led to the ascent of social discontent and a search for new culprits for the surge in prices.

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Зелено чудовище бърка в джоба на потребителите: дали? Медийна записка

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

The energy sector in Bulgaria is faced with a number of challenges, the biggest of which is poor governance. Abuses triggered by the poor management of state-owned enterprises have an impact on electricity prices for consumers. As long as the governance of state-owned enterprises remains non-transparent and pricing mechanisms remain opaque, consumer confidence in the system cannot be restored.

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Izbor - Kosmet, 2009 / 02 / 06

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Serbian

BOMBA IZ BEOGRADA (Koha ditore - Priština) VELIKA ALBANIJA - ISTROŠENI POJAM (Kosovapress - Priština) SRBIJA I NEMAČKA POSLOVICA (55 - Tirana) KOLIKO SU BLISKI ALBANCI? (Panorama - Tirana) ETNIČKA ALBANIJA - SAN ILI REALNOST? (Standard - Tirana) PREŠEVSKA DOLINA - MOST KOJI POVEZUJE ZAPADNU EVROPU SA AZIJOM (Telegrafi - Priština) IZ STABILNOSTI KRIZE U KRIZU STABILNOSTI (Express - Priština) ISKLJUČENJE U VREME DECENTRALIZACIJE (Kosova sot - Priština) BALKANSKI BENELUKS (Koha - Skoplje) “IMIDŽ” ILI PRIZNANJE - ŠTA JE ZAPRAVO POTREBNO KOSOVU? (Lajm - Priština) KUDA IDE KOSOVO? (Start - Tirana) ODBRANIMO NAŠE INTERESE! (Express - Priština) SBK - OSTAVKE , NAPETOSTI I POLITIČKA CENA (Kosova sot - Priština) FEJTOVA INICIJATIVA POVODOM HARADINAJEVOG PISMA UPUĆENOM DRŽAVAMA ISG NIJE DOBILA PODRŠKU (Zëri - Priština) GDE ODLAZI 3.5 MILIJARDI EVRA NAMENJENIH KOSOVU? (Express - Priština) SRBIJA SE PROTIVI OTVARANJU KANCELARIJA ICO I EULEKS U BEOGRADU (Zëri - Priština) ŽIVOTNI INTERESI DRŽAVE KOSOVO (Express - Priština) UJEDINJENJE PREKO KILOVATA (Kosova sot - Priština) NEKA BEOGRAD NAPUSTI IGRU! (Zëri - Priština) A SADA, ŠTA ČEKATE? (Kosova sot - Priština)

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How Far is Macedonia in Fulfilling the Requirements Under the Energy Chapter of the Acquis?

Author(s): Sonja Risteska,Nataša Hroneska / Language(s): English

Macedonia’s progress under Chapter 15 of the EU Acquis - Energy has been somewhat inconsistent over the past few years. The reforms of the energy sector are high on the Macedonian government’s agenda although their implementation started only in 2005/2006, in particular with the entering into force of the Energy Community Treaty for Southeast Europe (ECTSEE) in 2005. According to the ECTSEE’s rules member countries have to align their legislation in energy with the EU’s regulations. Therefore the reform process that started in Macedonia in 2005 has been partly successful, but it is ongoing process will most likely accelerate in the following years. The possibilities of having sustainable energy production from other alternative energy sources, such as hydro, wind, biomass or solar energy, which have a high potential for exploitation and energy production, are still there, ready to be explored. This report will investigate the positive developments and setbacks of the reforms in the energy sector in Macedonia since 2005. It will serve as a guide into what has been done so far, in which areas progress has been slower or reversed, which areas have great potential for development and what lies ahead in the development of the country’s energy market.

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Implementing Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Measures – are Southeast European Countries on track? Barriers, Positive Examples, Proposed Measures and Policies

Author(s): Sonja Risteska,Nataša Hroneska / Language(s): English

Energy efficiency (EE) is a vital part of every country’s energy policy. All countries strive to establish an energy system that will enable balanced development of environmental protection, the competitiveness of the market and the security of energy supply. But the uncertain global energy market and the poor use of indigenous energy resources make it difficult to build a sustainable energy system in Macedonia. Remaining highly dependent on energy, without proper implementation of energy efficiency, the overall success of energy development is at stake. Macedonia as a country member of the Energy Community and a candidate for EU membership needs to keep up the pace with the other countries of South Eastern Europe when it comes to reforms of the energy sector. However, implementation of reforms is one of the main problems in Macedonia. According to a study conducted by Analytica in February, Macedonia is seriously lagging behind in the implementation of reforms in the energy sector, including the implementation of energy efficiency measures at the national and local levels.

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Greening the Energy Sector-Does Macedonia Need Nuclear Energy?

Author(s): Sonja Risteska / Language(s): English

The construction of viable energy options for the next decades is at the centre of significant period in the national discussions in Macedonia. This was triggered in part by the adoption of the Energy Strategy for the period of 2008-2020 with a vision up until 2030. One of the options mentioned is nuclear energy and the possibility of building a nuclear power plant in the country. This option deserves to be adequately and properly analyzed and researched in the following years, as do other alternatives, RES, gas, coal. However, unlike the other energy options, nuclear energy causes lot of stir in the public and expert circles. Whether it is potentially hazardous or is a great investment option is still a big issue that necessitates closer inspection. This brief therefore tries to look at both sides of the discussion while also recommending several future steps regarding the exploration of nuclear energy in Macedonia to the relevant stakeholders. The brief represents a starting point in what should follow a comprehensive research on the benefits and risks that the nuclear option has, not only for Macedonia but for the wider region in general. The research methodology is qualitative, using primary sources, such as interviews and legal documents, as well as secondary sources, such as analysis of documents of the contemporary energy discourse.

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Gas Pipelines and Regional Challenges: Assessment of the Macedonian Role in the SEE Natural Gas Market

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Today, we live in an “era of energy” when most of the political debates are directed towards ensuring the availability and security of supply of energy. Across the world, the countries are caught in the grip with the raising energy demand and prices. On the European continent the energy crisis and debate over energy security and sustainability are concentrated on two issues: the high dependence on energy import and the increasing need for diversification of the energy sources. The current debate is all about the geopolitics of supply of the natural gas, as leading energy source and the pillar of the energy stability in the continent. A decade ago, the European Commission has adopted several important documents concerning measures that safeguard the security of natural gas supply and regulate the internal natural gas market. The most recent one, the Energy Policy of EU from 2007 has projected that even with the current targets on energy efficiency and renewables, oil and natural gas will still continue to meet half of the EU’s energy needs, with the import of natural gas exceeding 80% by 2030. Moreover, taking into consideration that the electricity generation in EU remains heavily dependent on natural gas, the 2007 Energy Policy reaffirms the security of supply of natural gas as a paramount for Europe’s security and economy. The other important part of the EU energy strategy concerning natural gas is the diversification of its energy sources. In order to diminish the role and the political influence of Russia as the biggest supplier of Europe with natural gas, EU has turned to find new sources and best transit routes to transport the natural gas to Europe, at the same time avoiding Russian territory.

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Renewable Energy in Macedonia – Focus on ‘Green’ Electricity Production

Author(s): Nataša Hroneska / Language(s): English

In future, beside the level of energy consumption as a parameter for the economic growth of a country, the capacity and capability for introducing renewable energies will become an important criterion for the level of the sustainable development of the countries. At the end of September 2008 the International Energy Agency (IEA) has called for a major boost in renewable energy use, estimating that until the middle of the century nearly 50 percent of global electricity supplies will have to come from renewable energy sources. These ambitious objectives require government action for unprecedented political commitment and effective policy design and implementation. As a part of the overall EU energy policy for energy mix achieving the objectives of security of supply, competitiveness and sustainable development, in the last decade the countries of the European Union have strategically moved towards promotion of energy production from renewable energy sources. The major achievement in the area of renewable energies has been the introducement of the renewable energy sources for electricity production in EU. Starting with the White Paper on Renewable Energy almost a decade ago, the member states have set binding targets for renewable energy. This policy mechanism has allowed for an increased market penetration of electricity produced from renewable energy sources and since then the promotion of electricity produced from RES is a high Community priority, ambitiously targeting the 22 percent of electricity produced from renewables until 2010.

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Wastewater Issue: High Time for Better Management – The Case of Macedonia

Author(s): Karolina Pendovska / Language(s): English

Globally increased industrial production, intense agriculture activities and household consumption in the last century have led to increased use of water resources. This in turn has increased the rate of production of wastewater, polluting the nearby recipients (surface waters and groundwaters). The well‐being of Earth’s natural water resources has been seriously threatened. Sustainable use of water resources and their protection, water quality and targets for achieving safe drinking water supply and basic sanitation have become more promptly addressed in the international and regional legal instruments. Reactions on the diminishing of future water resources quantity and quality are emerging on European Union (EU) level too, calling out for “water to be one of the main issues on the political agenda and integrated into all policies.”

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Investments in Energy – The Macedonian Case

Author(s): Nataša Hroneska / Language(s): English

Since independence at the beginning of 1990s and especially in the last several years, the most important issue to the development of the energy sector in Macedonia has been the lack of a substantial and sustainable investment model. This in turn has been reflected in the modest number of new energy capacities in the country. Most of Macedonia’s existing energy infrastructure was developed during the second half of the last century. The consequence of this investment stagnation, especially after the breakout from Yugoslavia, is a weak energy sector, overwhelmingly dependent on imports and uncompetitive in the regional energy market. Foreign investors come and go from the country. Facing different legal and administrative barriers few decide to invest, leaving many strategically important energy projects for Macedonia to wait for ‘better days’. In addition, both wholesale and individual consumers have experienced hardships in their businesses and everyday life, faced with poor energy supply, low quality transmission and distribution systems, combined with energy shortages and inefficient energy management. New capacities have been developed in the last two decades, but they are not enough to satisfy the increase in energy demand, or strengthen the energy position of Macedonia within Southeast European region.

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№221. Geopolitical Threats to Oil and the Functioning of the International Oil Market

Author(s): Giacomo Luciani / Language(s): English

There is no easy and immediate connection between resource nationalism or political instability and global supply of oil and gas. This is emphatically not because political developments are irrelevant for influence is highly variable and unpredictable.

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The ‘Food-Energy-Water’ Nexus in Central Asia: Regional Implications of and the International Response to the Crises in Tajikistan

Author(s): Matteo Fumagalli / Language(s): English

Most of the spotlight on Central Asia continues to be on its potential role in guaranteeing Europe’s energy security by helping to diversify its energy supplies. This legitimate although increasingly exclusive focus risks overshadowing one of the most urgent issues that the region’s populations face: food security. Food security refers here to both physical and economical access to food and food supplies. To be sure, food security in Central Asia is not to be understood as a standalone challenge. The current food crisis in the region cannot be understood unless located in the broader nexus that encompasses food, water and, indeed, energy (gas and oil). It is only by understanding how the three dimensions of this nexus are entangled that a long-term, concerted and sustained strategy can be developed and applied.

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Analysis of the Relationship between Climate Change and the Number and Intensity of Forest Fires – a Literature Review

Author(s): Tsvetan Tsvetkov,Yasen Tsvetkov / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

This paper quantitatively examines the publications that can be found in the Scopus databases on the very current topic of the relationship between climate change and the number and intensity of forest fires. The authors see this report as a first step in a more complex literature review of the issue, based on a combination of analysis of additional quantitative indicators and an in-depth examination of the logic of a more limited number of publications. The paper presents a detailed problem analysis of the interrelationship between climate change and the number and intensity of forest fires, the research methodology is presented, and a search for literary sources on the subject in the Scopus databases is performed. The 7 361 results obtained were subjected to a systematic quantitative analysis, and the following indicators were examined: annual scientific production (articles in Scopus); average citations per year; a list of sources (journals that publish most actively in the selected research area); h index and g index of these journals; sources' production over time; authors who publish most actively in the chosen research area; impact strength of these authors, according to their h-index, g-index, m-index, and total citations; number of citations of publications in journals that publish most actively in the selected research area. An analysis of the results was made, and conclusions were formulated.

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Енергийна политика и индустриална трансформация в България

Author(s): Rosen Simitchiev / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

The energy transition is a historical process in which new energy sources are being used. However, old and new energy sources will coexist for a long time under the current global trend of industrial transformation. Haste by refusing to develop and use old sources such as coal, natural gas and nuclear energy, before the guaranting of the development of safe, sustainable and reliable new energy sources, leads to reduced competitiveness and deindustrialization, due to the lack of cheap and reliable energy resources. The common energy policy of the EU does not take into account the specificities of the energy sectors, the different climatic conditions and the level of industrial development of the member states from Eastern and Southern Europe. The main problem in the Bulgarian energy policy is the lack of proper definition of national interests in energy.

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