prijava
SARAJEVO, May 15 (FENA) - The nature protection organization WWF Adria welcomed the efforts of the Government of the Federation of BiH to introduce order into the system of issuing incentives and concessions for small hydropower plants, and called on the Government to completely abolish the incentive system.
The organization states that, unfortunately, during this crisis, we are faced with individuals who continue destroying the rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The WWF Adria reminds that in recent weeks we have had the opportunity to read about private investors who are using the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic to start building small hydropower plants, to the detriment of people and nature.
They point out that, although the official bodies allow these harmful projects, a positive surprise came in a statement from the session of the Government of the Federation of BiH held on May 12, 2020, in which it was pointed out that the Government "has accepted the recommendations and conclusions adopted in the Declaration on River Protection in the Western Balkans".
" The WWF, the world organization for nature protection, welcomes the efforts of the Government of the Federation of BiH to introduce order into the system of issuing incentives and concessions for the construction and operation of small hydropower plants. This is a significant step forward in solving this problem, but, in the end, it can only be solved by abolishing incentives altogether," it was emphasized in the statement.
Zoran Mateljak from WWF Adria stated that economic studies have shown that the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina spend tens of millions of euros a year on incentives for small hydropower plants and at the same time, the only ones who benefit from it are private investors, while all costs and damage are transferred to citizens and nature itself.
"In November 2019, the Declaration on the Protection of Rivers of the Western Balkans was adopted and signed by 33 civil society organizations. Among other things, the document calls on the governments of the region to stop all kinds of incentives for energy production from small hydropower plants, insists on a consistent application and enforcement of regulations, transparent and early public involvement in decision-making processes and to start or accelerate the implementation of European Union standards," announced the WWF Adria.
(FENA) S. R.
