Selection of International Rivernews 2016


   

03.12.16 : Albania: Lawsuit against hydropower project on the Vjosa has been filed

Dam project on Europe's last wild river was intended to be realised without adequate environmental assessment or civic participation. A Legal precedent for rule of law in Albania.

Tirana, Vienna, December 2, 2016.
The planned destruction of the Vjosa, one of Europe's last big wild rivers, is now being challenged in court. Today, the nature conservation organisations EcoAlbania, Riverwatch and EuroNatur, as well as 38 affected residents filed a lawsuit against the projected hydropower plant "Poçem" on the Vjosa with the Albanian Administrative Court. In it, the plaintiffs demand the suspension of any decisions and permits for this dam project, which was to be constructed by a Turkish consortium. "We are determined to defend this claim through every instance of the legal system. After all, it is to protect one of the most valuable nature areas in Europe," says Ulrich Eichelmann, coordinator of the "Save the Blue Heart of Europe" campaign at Riverwatch.


Grounds of this lawsuit are manifold. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) accepted by Albanian authorities is utterly inadequate: more than 60% of the EIA was simply copied word-for-word from other projects, flora and fauna was not even assessed at all, etc. Nevertheless, the authors of the assessment reached a positive conclusion for the project. Prof. Friedrich Schiemer from Vienna, who analyzed the EIA together with colleagues from Albania, Germany and Austria, confirms: "I have never seen such a poor EIA, the text is a farce. The EIA must be repeated and carried out according to international standards." Just recently, the European Commission has also sharply criticized Albania for the low quality of EIAs in Albania.

Another basis of this lawsuit is the fact that affected residents were not informed. In the village of Kutë, a majority of fields and olive plantations would drown in the 2,400 hectare reservoir; 90 individuals would have to be relocated. Nevertheless, nobody from the village was informed to date. A legally required resident information event did indeed take place; however, it was set an hour's drive away and did not include residents actually affected by the project.

A procedure like that is not the exception in Albania, but rather the rule. Therefore, this lawsuit is not only imperative for the future of the Vjosa and its residents, but also for nature protection and the administration of justice in Albania in general. Attorney Vladimir Meçi, who prepared this lawsuit, affirms: "Our laws are not poor, but they are too often ignored by investors, authorities and politicians. This disregard must stop or we will destroy our entire country. The Poçem case is thus a legal touchstone for the rule of law in Albania."

Background information
The Vjosa is the last big wild river in Europe outside Russia. Entirely unobstructed, she flows through inaccessible gorges and sections with enormous gravel banks and islands on her course of almost 270 kilometers from the Pindus Mountains to the Adriatic Sea. The Albanian government under Prime Minister Edi Rama is currently about to have a Turkish company construct a hydropower project within the ecologically most valuable stretch of the Vjosa.
The campaign "Save the Blue Heart of Europe" aims to protect the most valuable rivers in the Balkans. The campaign is coordinated by the NGOs Riverwatch and EuroNatur and carried out together with partner organisations in the Balkan countries.

Contacts
www.balkanrivers.net
Ulrich Eichelmann Riverwatch, ulrich.eichelmann@riverwatch.eu, +43 676 6621512
Olsi Nika EcoAlbania, o.nika@ecoalbania.org +355 69 29 44 757
Vladimir Meçi Attorney, studiomeci@yahoo.com

source : Riverwatch

 

01.09.16 : Chile : Five rivers, two in Patagonia, have just been spared from large dams
(source IR) The Chilean energy company Endesa cited "local opposition" as a major reason why they pulled out of the projects.

04.08.16 : Brazilian government cancels mega-dam on the Amazon's Tapajós River
Source: (International Rivers and AmazonWatch).
Brazil?s Federal Environmental Agency (IBAMA) announced the cancelation
of licensing for the polemic São Luiz do Tapajós mega-dam, the largest
hydroelectric project planned for the Amazon. More


24.07.16
:
World Bank Suspends Support for Inga 3 Dam in the Congo (IR)
Source IR : On July 25, the World Bank suspended its support for the giant Inga 3 Dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo. What the World Bank once hailed as a ?transformational project? for the region has become the latest cautionary tale of the enormous pitfalls of mega-dams. More

10.07.16 : Successfull regionanl Big Jump Day in Europe. (Sourece ERN)
Over 160 events has been organised to protest for clean rivers.

14.03.16 : To day: March 14'th : International Day of action for Rivers
03.03.16 : Berta Càceres (Goldman Prize Winner) mudered


Berta Càceres - © International Rivers

- read the letter to the president of Hondouras sent by the Goldman Foundation and cosigned by 50 international NGOs.
- Participate in the online action : Tell Dam Builders to Pull Out of Agua Zarca Dam en Honduras

to the News 2015