Lots of things have happened in the campaign in the last couple of weeks. Visual impressions thereof are now available on our website!

NGOs uncover: 33 hydropower plants projected ++ Austrian and Italian companies involved ++ New initiative supports national park idea. Today, the international NGOs Riverwatch and EuroNatur, together with their local partner EcoAlbania, are presenting a paper, which for the first time reveals the full extent of the threat to the Vjosa catchment area.

The Tirana Times published an interview with Ulrich Eichelmann about the Vjosa River, its threats, the alternative idea of a Vjosa National Park and the Blue Heart of Europe campaign. Read the interview here: Protecting Vjosa, Europe’s last wild river

Today, the Guardian published a detailed report about the situation of the Balkan Rivers. In it, the newspaper reports that the EBRD is likely to pull out of hydro project in the Mavrovo National Park in Macedonia, one of our key areas in the campaign. Read the full article which was published in the Guardian today, Feb 20: Balkan dam boom threatens Europe’s last wild waterways

150 people discuss the future of the river - parliamentarians will be informed. On Wednesday and Thursday the first public discussions about the future of the Vjosa Valley took place in Çarshovë and Përmet in southern Albania. While  the government envisages the construction of eight dams along the river, the mayors and people of the affected communities support the alternative idea of establishing a national park.

European Convention on Nature Conservation investigates hydropower projects in Mavorovo National Park. The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention is initiating proceedings against Macedonia due to the projected construction of hydropower plants in the Mavrovo National Park. A group of experts appointed by the Standing Committee will investigate whether the projects violate the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.

Zagreb, Vienna, Radolfzell, December 1, 2014 In an open letter, fifteen environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) protest against the intention of the International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC) to adopt a management plan for the Sava River basin. This management plan is based on misleading and false data; it is violating EU legislation and risking the future of the Sava – one of the most valuable river ecosystems in Europe.

In his article “The last refugium of the Balkan Lynx”, the Swiss journalist Andreas Ernst reports about the critical situation on site, the chicanery of the authorities, as well as the commitment of dam opponents...

Skopje, October 21, 2014 The controversial hydropower project Boskov Most inside the Mavrovo National Park in Macedonia is estimated to be twice as expensive as originally projected. This will be one of the topics discussed at today’s meeting of NGOs with members of the Board of Directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The NGOs demand the bank’s withdrawal from hydro projects in the national park.

One of the key areas in our campaign is the Sava River, which has been under high anthropogenic pressure. The international coordination team is in a partnership with the Croatian Society for Bird and Nature Protection for the protection of the Croatian Sava. To supplement the Team Sava, the coordination team is currently looking for a national coordinator for Croatia and countries downstream (Bosnia&Herzegovina and Serbia).