Only a day after the EU has published its long-term Climate Strategy, with the aim of achieving zero GHG emissions by the year of 2050, and only a couple days before the COP 24 in Poland, the ministries of the region, gathered at the Ministerial Council of Energy Community, adopted a document on 2030 goals.

Members of the Ministerial Council, gathered for a meeting in Skopje (1), gave support to the alignment of its ambitions with the ones in the EU – they vowed to take these goals into account while defining their own climate and energy plans for the 2030, in order for them to reflect the ambitions of the EU, regarding GHG emissions reductions, improving energy efficiency and the share of renewables.

Although all of these countries aspire to become the EU members (2), they were mostly lagging behind with their plans to date, as well as with their ambitions for successful implementation. The energy sector development is just one of the examples. While EU prepares to complete its decarbonization, most of the regional governments is still planning to build up new thermal power plant facilities, in spite of huge energy savings potential which can be fulfilled through successful implementation of energy efficiency measures and the potential of renewable energy sources, and in spite of the fact that burning coal is the key cause of climate change and alarming air pollution in the country.

However, there’s hope. European financial institutions are giving up on coal. The World Bank has done the same, by giving up on its previously agreed support to a new thermal power plant in Kosovo. Such decision was not, however environmentally based. It was an economic calculation – their support goes to the most rentable projects and renewable energy is surpassing coal, as investing in them now pays off more and more.

Mr Igor Kalaba, climate and energy policy coordinator for South-East Europe in Climate Action Network Europe, sees this as a very important step in the right direction and a true test of how much the countries of the region are dedicated to the EU accession. What is now important for regional governments is to set up ambitions goals and act in accordance with them. These actions will show us whether our governments are truly aware of a huge development potential opportunity, which can be utilized through catching up with European efforts directed towards inevitable energy transition.

This cautious optimism is not without a reason. It seems that the warnings given by regional OCDs, regarding the lack of ambition and violations of both domestic and international law, are finally giving some results.

Mr Ognjan Pantić, project assistant in Belgrade Open School, highlights that the latest impulse for more determined climate change action, coming from the Energy Community, is particularly encouraging. That means that energy policy and climate policy cannot go separate ways any longer. They have to go hand in hand, towards achieving 2030 goals in renewable energy, energy efficiency, GHG emission reduction. Involving climate change perspective in development of energy policy is particularly important for a successful energy transition towards renewable energy sources. The latest IPCC report has shown that we have no more time to delay this inevitable transition.

Before 2030, there is one more important stop on the road – it’s 2020 and the goals for this year will be on the table at Katowice, during COP, when the implementation of previously submitted GHG emission reduction plans (NDC), will be discussed (3). The negotiators will put a lot of work in development of a Rulebook for implementation of the Paris Climate Accord. The goals of this Rulebook should be clear and comprehensive rules, which would ensure transparency and accountability, so that all countries would take adequate and measurable steps towards emission reduction.

Scientists form all over the globe have pointed out that the consequences of climate change are at our doorstep. In order to prevent further temperature rise and keep it within 1,5 degrees compared with the pre-industrial period, we have to significantly increase our ambitions, according to the latest UNEP report. Thanks to the Energy Community, Western Balkans countries have at least taken the initial steps towards saving the climate, which can only be saved with actions – not with words.

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(1) https://energy-community.org/news/Energy-Community-News/2018/011/212.html 

(2)

Photo: Energy community