Green EU tariffs could hobble coal-heavy Western Balkans

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Brussels: From Sargio to Scopay, depending on coal power can expose Western Balkans for a major economic hit next year on implementing EU green prices.

Coal fuel electricity is one of the most carbon heavy exports of Western Balkan and will be covered by the EU’s new carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), which will be imposed on imports with large carbon impressions.

The region’s economic and geographical relations with the European Union are “so large” that Jeans Captake, the former director of the Energy Community Secretariat, said it united the European Union and its neighboring countries to build an integrated Pan European energy market.

In Western Balkan, coal share is between 60 % and 95 %, which depends on the country, and 60 % of the region’s electricity exports. Located in Southeast Europe, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, which shares borders with six EU countries, making the block its central trading partner.

Some energy analysts see the region as an incentive to invest in clean energy transfer because countries develop towards EU membership. But if they do not do so, the financial result can be important. “They will shield sooner or later, but it will be very difficult for them,” Kopak said.

Carbon veil

The new Eco -tariff depends on the carbon footprint of their electric exports. CBAM fee for European Union importers will effectively make electricity exports from Western Balkans.

According to a network of Central and Eastern Environmental Environmental Nongoorne Organizations, CEE Bank Watch Count, Albania uses most hydropower, which limits its exposure, but Bosnia and Herzegovina are more than 220 million euros for the European Union’s annual revenue (231.99). According to the network, the European Union is in the annual income from the sale of electricity.

According to the Energy Community’s CBM Radenis Tracker, efforts to decorate the Western Balkan countries have been largely stopped.

Analysts say lack of investment in renewable energy and government subsidy for aging coal plants is a hindrance to green transfer, which forcing governments to delay or delay the CBAM.

There will be no exemption terms, which include the introduction of large -scale investment in clean energy or the introduction of country -related carbon prices, making it difficult for countries to reform the CBAM before the implementation.

“Nobody is really ready,” Pepa Gallup told the Thomson Writers Foundation at the CEE Bank Watch. But he said that there is a growing awareness that if they “want to avoid the worst effects” then countries will have to decorate.

Curved Classes for Effect

Changing into clean energy from coal comes with heavy social and economic prices. Jarman Clean Energy Think Tank Energy Energy Wendy Prices Energy Change in Western Balkan is about 40 billion euros, which does not include training or separation package of about 30,000 coal workers.

Instead of encouraging coal exit, the Christian Energy Policy researcher in the CEPS think tank based in Brussels, could prevent the green transfer of the Balkans by taking cash needed for the transfer of coal.

“These people need money, not such privileges,” he said. The European Union countries have a specific justice fund worth 17.5 billion euros, to protect workers and regions from the economic outcome of cleaning energy changes, such as clean energy changes. The Western Balkan has no such dedicated funding.

To support the integration of the European Union, the block has made up to 9 billion euros for green and digital transfer and up to 20 billion euros through Western Balkan guarantee to cover all the reforms needed to join the European Union – not only the energy sector.

Gallup of CEE Bank Watch said the funds are “not enough in terms of volume” so that the investment needed for fair transfer can be fought. It does not matter how much money the European Union provides, some motivations for change will have to come from the Western Balkan states, Kopak said. “This is probably no longer a question for the European Union,” he said.