Community Uprising against the Dams in the Balkans

Local Backlash and Economic Impact:

Considerable financial resources are often invested in project preparation, only to encounter vehement community protests, legal battles, and blockades at later stages. Many residents directly rely on rivers for their livelihoods, supporting agricultural activities, animal welfare, fishing, tourism, and drinking water. Hydropower plant construction significantly intrudes into these rural communities, disrupting their traditional way of life.

Unprecedented Public Opposition:

Hydropower has become a lightning rod for public opposition across Southeast Europe, drawing widespread resistance. In several instances along the Vrbas, Una, and Neretva (Konjic) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Mavrovo National Park in North Macedonia, and the Vjosa in Albania, successful public resistance halted projects before reaching physical confrontation. Notably, resistance in what is now Montenegro thwarted the construction of an expanded version of the Buk Bijela dam in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1970s and again in 2004 and 2005.

Activists Facing Challenges:

Public opposition has not only stopped projects but has also resulted in arrests, lawsuits, fines, and violence against activists defending the region's rivers. Instances of successful opposition include actions at the Željeznica, Kruščica, and Neretvica rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Stara Planina area of Serbia, the Bukovica and Bare Kraljske cases in Montenegro, and the Lumbardhi case in Kosovo.

Risky Permitting Approaches:

Authorities often adopt a risky permitting approach, displaying excessive flexibility in applying environmental and planning laws to hydropower and energy sector projects. While initially advantageous for investors, this approach poses a high risk. Poor application of rules makes it easier for local communities and environmental watchdog organizations to initiate legal action. Despite the lack of expertise and, at times, independence in regional courts, NGOs have frequently won cases, compelling a reset of environmental impact assessment (EIA) or other permitting procedures.

Shift in International Financing Landscape:

A decade ago, international financial institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank, contemplated financing several large hydropower projects in the region. However, the situation has evolved. To the best of our knowledge, the EBRD and European Investment Bank (EIB) no longer entertain the idea of financing any hydropower projects in the region, even small ones. In early 2022, the EIB significantly tightened biodiversity rules, further complicating the financing prospects for greenfield hydropower projects. Germany's KfW also withdrew financing for the Janjići plant on the river Bosna in Bosnia and Herzegovina in early 2022.