Exit – Explaining Albania https://exit.al/en Exit | Explaining Albania Tue, 17 Jan 2023 08:21:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.5 https://exit.al/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/05/cropped-Webp.net-resizeimage-7-32x32.png Exit – Explaining Albania https://exit.al/en 32 32 Albanian Youth have Lowest Disposable Income in Europe as Migration Row Continues https://exit.al/en/albanian-youth-have-lowest-disposable-income-in-europe-as-migration-row-continues/ Tue, 17 Jan 2023 13:19:10 +0000 https://exit.al/en/?p=161781 One of the reasons for the mass exodus of Albanian youth could be related to the fact they have the lowest level of disposable income in Europe, according to new data published by Eurostat. Data published by the European data agency looked at European citizens’ purchasing power standard (PPS), gauged by the median equivalised disposable

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One of the reasons for the mass exodus of Albanian youth could be related to the fact they have the lowest level of disposable income in Europe, according to new data published by Eurostat.

Data published by the European data agency looked at European citizens’ purchasing power standard (PPS), gauged by the median equivalised disposable income. In 2021, the median disposable income in the EU was 18,019 per inhabitant in the EU, reaching a high of 32,132 in Luxembourg and just 4,385 in Albania.

This figure equates to around 26% of the EU average and converts to approximately €2,594 or 299,000 Albanian lek annually.

In the Western Balkans, all countries outperformed Albania, including North Macedonia with 5,421 PPS, Serbia with 6,410 and Montenegro with 6,050 PPS.

The figures are reached by calculating all monetary income in a household minus taxes and social contributions, the size and composition of the family, and then dividing by the number of equivalent adults and arriving at the amount of disposable income for each person.

Some 1.4 million Albanians have left the country since the end of communism in 1991, with 700,000 leaving in the last decade. During the summer and autumn, the number of Albanians crossing The Channel to the UK in boats and then seeking asylum surged, provoking a sharp response from the British government.

They vowed to crack down on what they consider false asylum claims, despite a high historic approval rate for such applications.

Over the weekend, Albania’s Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka expressed her outrage at the language used by British Conservative immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, who said the government is working to “find the Albanians, detain them, to take them to the airport and get them back to Tirana” for “gaming the system” and including “dangerous criminals”. He said this would “keep our communities safe” by “getting dangerous criminals out of the country.”

Xhacka Tweeted that she is “shocked beyond words to hear a Minister of State in charge of immigration use such language for some miserable votes.”

“A verbal lynching of a whole nation in language that sounds like the Minister is declaring open season on #Albanians mere weeks after a Joint Communique UK & Albanian Prime Ministers praised the role of the #Albanian diaspora in the #UK & its significant contribution to the culture, economy & society of both countries. A shameful singling out of a community from a minister of a great democracy that brings back horrifying memories with an unbearable brutality!”

Jenrick’s comments come following outrage over Home Minister Suella Braverman referring to Albanians coming to the UK as an “invasion” and suggesting they were all criminals.

Prime Minister Edi Rama reacted harshly, urging the Conservative Party not to use the situation just to gain votes at a time they were suffering in the polls.

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Kosovo will Never Accept Association of Serb Municipalities https://exit.al/en/kosovo-will-never-accept-association-of-serb-municipalities/ Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:49:46 +0000 https://exit.al/en/?p=161779 Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla has reiterated that the country will never accept an Association of Serb Municipalities with executive powers, violating the Constitution. The previous administration signed an agreement to form the association, which would function in Kosovo independently of state institutions. The Constitutional Court ruled against it, and President Vjosa Osmani said ethnic

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Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla has reiterated that the country will never accept an Association of Serb Municipalities with executive powers, violating the Constitution.

The previous administration signed an agreement to form the association, which would function in Kosovo independently of state institutions. The Constitutional Court ruled against it, and President Vjosa Osmani said ethnic Serbs are welcome to establish an association, but it would function as an NGO.

Kosovo’s president supports Serb association with no executive powers

Prime Minister Albin Kurti has repeatedly said that a parallel structure cannot coexist with the government and would be doomed to failure, like in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Gervalla said on Monday that the association as Serbia and ethnic Serbs want is not possible.

The Association for which the parties have agreed in Brussels, but for which the parties have agreed to be implemented only after it has passed the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, cannot be implemented because it violates the constitution,” she said, adding that a decision to implement something that violates the constitution, should never have been taken.

Regarding the ongoing dialogue, Gervalla said Serbia must make concessions relating to the rights of Albanians in Serbia and “many other topics”. Ethnic Albanians living in the Presevo Valley have been removed from the civil registry in what has been described as “administrative ethnic cleansing”, preventing them from voting, accessing healthcare, and conducting other basic tasks.

Research finds 6,000 ethnic Albanians wiped from voting lists in Serbia

Also, on Monday, Tanja Fajon, the deputy prime minister and head of Slovenian diplomacy, visited Pristina and met with Gervalla. Following the meeting, Fajon expressed concern about security risks in the region and called for the normalisation of relations.

“We are all concerned about security risks in the Balkans; we want a strong Balkans and a strong Kosovo. Tensions in the north, I said that Kosovo should try to normalise relations. Let the negotiations begin to talk about the EU-sponsored proposal regarding the complete normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia,” Fajon said.

Fajon also confirmed strong ties between the two countries and said Slovenia would support Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, although its recent EU membership application was not mentioned.

Later this week, the EU’s special envoy for the Balkans, Miroslav Lajcak and his US counterpart Gabriel Escobar will visit Kosovo and Serbia to prepare the ground for the continuation of high-level dialogue in Brussels.

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Kosovo PM Condemns Racak Massacre, Serbian Denial https://exit.al/en/kosovo-pm-condemns-racak-massacre-serbian-denial/ Mon, 16 Jan 2023 11:53:05 +0000 https://exit.al/en/?p=161777 On the 24th anniversary of the massacre of Racak committed by Serbian forces against Kosovo Albanians in 1999, Prime Minister Albin Kurti called out Serbian President Aleksander Vucic’s previous denial of the event. The Racak massacre saw the death of 45 Kosovo Albanians during the 1998-1999 Kosovo-Serbia war, including a woman and a 12-year-old. Serbian

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On the 24th anniversary of the massacre of Racak committed by Serbian forces against Kosovo Albanians in 1999, Prime Minister Albin Kurti called out Serbian President Aleksander Vucic’s previous denial of the event.

The Racak massacre saw the death of 45 Kosovo Albanians during the 1998-1999 Kosovo-Serbia war, including a woman and a 12-year-old.

Serbian forces surrounded the village in the early hours of the morning and bombarded it before entering and conducting raids. The massacre represented a turning point in the war and played a pivotal role in NATO’s decision to take action against Yugoslavia, which resulted in the war’s end and the subsequent independence of Kosovo.

“Three years ago, the president of Serbia declared that the massacre in Racak is fabrication and forgery. Two years later, the head of intelligence of the Serbian state, on the day of universal rights on December 10, repeats what the president says. Those who deny the genocide dream of its repetition”, said Kurti.

“Witnessed by many local and international media, the massacre of Recak turned into one of the most indisputable arguments”, he added.

US Foreign Services diplomat and at-the-time head of the OSCE verification mission William G.Walker described the atrocities found at the scene.

“In a gully above the village, I saw the first body. It was covered with a blanket, and when it was pulled back, I saw there was no head on the corpse — just an incredibly bloody mess on the neck. Someone told me that the skull was on the other side of the gully and asked if I wanted to see that. But I said, “No, I’ve pretty much got this story.”

The Serbian government rejected this version of events.

On the day after the killings, the Serbian Interior Ministry issued a statement that its police units had come under fire from “ethnic Albanian terrorist groups … on routes leading to Racak village in the Stimlje municipality.” In the subsequent counter-attack, “several dozen terrorists were killed in the clashes with the police. Most of them were in uniforms bearing the insignia of the ethnic Albanian terrorist organisation calling itself the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).”

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicted a number of Serbian and Yugoslav officials, including president of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic and president of Serbia, Milan Milutinovic. Current President Aleksander Vucic has repeatedly denied the massacre.

As recently as 2021, Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Aleksander Vuiln also denied the massacre.

“Racak is a huge lie, a terrible forgery, a great insult to all humanity and for everyone who uttered the lie but Racak is also our opportunity to show how we have been unjustly destroyed, killed as a people, how much we have been punished for the sins of others and how we accepted other people’s lies as our truth,” Vulin stated.

Vucic previously stated ““it was all fabricated by that global fraudster, scammer and swindler, Walker”.

At the time, the European Commission stated that “Denial and revisionism are contrary to the values of the European Union and are contrary to the project of integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union. Sentencing has to be proportionate and take into account all elements of the case”.

Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka also released a statement about the atrocity which she described as an attack “by the Serbian regime in an act of deliberate & indiscriminate murder.”

 Today their memory & the memory of the thousands of men, women & children killed in countless other war crimes committed by the #Serbian regime in Kosova  still calls for justice & reconciliation,” she added on Twitter.

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Albania Rocked by Earthquake, No Casualties Reported https://exit.al/en/albania-rocked-by-earthquake-no-casualties-reported/ Mon, 16 Jan 2023 08:50:44 +0000 https://exit.al/en/?p=161774 Albania was hit by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake on Sunday evening, 10km from the town of Klos and 46 km from the capital of Tirana, leaving residents shocked as memories linger from the deadly 2019 quake that claimed 51 lives. The earthquake struck the rural and mountainous region of the country’s northeast at 10:37 pm.

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Albania was hit by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake on Sunday evening, 10km from the town of Klos and 46 km from the capital of Tirana, leaving residents shocked as memories linger from the deadly 2019 quake that claimed 51 lives.

The earthquake struck the rural and mountainous region of the country’s northeast at 10:37 pm. Witnesses described it as low and rumbling, yet it was felt throughout Albania, as well as Greece, Kosovo, and North Macedonia.

The government confirmed that no injuries or damage to buildings had been reported, but this did not stop residents of Tirana from seeking refuge in squares and open areas. Cars and people on foot headed to various open parts of the city to find safety in case of another, larger shock.

While subsequent tremors were recorded, the rest of the night passed without incidence.

On 26 November 2019, Albania was slammed by a 6.2 earthquake near Durres, 40km from the capital. It caused multiple buildings to collapse instantly, as well as billions in damage. Some 51 people were killed, thousands were displaced, and thousands more saw their homes destroyed or requiring demolition.

The EU, European countries and third countries responded by donating more than EUR 1 billion to Albania to reconstruct homes, schools, and hospitals, while millions more were donated in aid. The quake also saw one of the largest civil society movements in the country’s history as thousands of volunteers worked to collect and distribute aid to those in need.

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Albania to Open Embassy in Ukraine https://exit.al/en/albania-to-open-embassy-in-ukraine/ Fri, 13 Jan 2023 14:02:01 +0000 https://exit.al/en/?p=161770  Thirty years after establishing diplomatic relations between Albania and Ukraine, the former announced it would open an embassy in Kyiv. The announcement was made on Thursday, on the same date, 12 January, that relations were established three decades before. “On the occasion of this 30th anniversary, I am happy to announce that Albania will increase

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 Thirty years after establishing diplomatic relations between Albania and Ukraine, the former announced it would open an embassy in Kyiv.

The announcement was made on Thursday, on the same date, 12 January, that relations were established three decades before.

“On the occasion of this 30th anniversary, I am happy to announce that Albania will increase its level of representation in Kyiv by opening its embassy in Ukraine,” Foreign Minister Olta Xhaçka wrote on Twitter.

She added, “I look forward with pleasure to the continuation of the cooperation with my friend and colleague Dmytro Kuleba to advance and strengthen our cooperation even further in the future.”

The minister continued that Albania will support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s “illegal war of aggression.”

“Today we are proud to stand by Ukraine as true friends on the right side of history. Ukraine’s heroic resistance is a fight for freedom and a refusal to return to the tyranny from which we both emerged long ago,” she wrote, referencing Albania’s exit from a brutal communist regime in 1991.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Tirana Municipality renamed the street on which the Russian Embassy sits on, “Free Ukraine Street”, prompting the embassy to relocate.

 

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Albanian Executives Fear Infectious Diseases, Cybercrime Most in 2023 https://exit.al/en/albanian-executives-fear-infectious-diseases-cybercrime-most-in-2023/ Fri, 13 Jan 2023 13:01:37 +0000 https://exit.al/en/?p=161772 Infectious diseases and the lack of infrastructure to protect against cyber attacks are the two main fears of Albanian executives, according to the latest report of the Global Economic Forum, “Global Risks Report 2023.” The third concern is the rapid rise in inflation, followed by geopolitical matters, the raw materials crisis and food supply problems. 

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Infectious diseases and the lack of infrastructure to protect against cyber attacks are the two main fears of Albanian executives, according to the latest report of the Global Economic Forum, “Global Risks Report 2023.”

The third concern is the rapid rise in inflation, followed by geopolitical matters, the raw materials crisis and food supply problems. 

The study, a co-production of consultants Marsh McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, took into account the views of more than 1,200 global risk experts, policymakers and industry leaders.

Last year, the main concerns were political issues, human impact on the environment, cyber security risks, the debt crisis and COVID-19.

The concerns raised by the Albanian leaders in the 2023 report are also different from the global ones, where the energy supply crisis is number one, followed by the cost of living inflation, food supply and cyber attacks. 

“Conflict and geo-economic tensions have caused a series of interconnected global risks.

These include energy and food supply difficulties, which are likely to continue for the next two years, accompanied by significant increases in the cost of living and debt servicing,” the report notes.

The report also states that “such crises risk undermining efforts to address long-term risks, particularly those related to climate change, biodiversity and investment in human capital.”

The report described the cost of living crisis as the “biggest near-term risk” to 2025, followed by natural disasters, extreme weather events and a “geo-economic crash”.

The report urges “leaders to act collectively and decisively, balancing short-term and long-term views.”

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Austria Ready to Send Soldiers to Reinforce Peace in Kosovo https://exit.al/en/austria-ready-to-send-soldiers-to-reinforce-peace-in-kosovo/ Fri, 13 Jan 2023 10:01:12 +0000 https://exit.al/en/?p=161768 Vienna stands ready to send additional soldiers to support the NATO-led peace forces in Kosovo (KFOR) to reinforce the mission, should it become necessary. During a press conference, Chancellor Karl Nehammer told journalists that Austria stood ready to send additional soldiers following months of escalating tensions between Kosovo and Serbia. “Austria and Kosovo are closely

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Vienna stands ready to send additional soldiers to support the NATO-led peace forces in Kosovo (KFOR) to reinforce the mission, should it become necessary.

During a press conference, Chancellor Karl Nehammer told journalists that Austria stood ready to send additional soldiers following months of escalating tensions between Kosovo and Serbia.

“Austria and Kosovo are closely connected on many levels,” explained Nehammer after meeting with Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Vienna. “Above all, we also work closely together at the level of security policy,” he added.

Austria, geographically and historically close to the Balkan states, is the largest non-NATO member of the some 3,400 men-strong KFOR contingent. Some 300 Austrian soldiers are stationed in Kosovo’s capital Priština, as well as Peja and Novo Selo on the west.

Kurti, for his part, emphasised the need to reinforce the peace mission, citing the worsening security environment in the North of Kosovo and the presence of pro-Russian forces. 

Nehammer went on to offer Austria as a mediator in the talks with Serbia, citing their importance for Kosovo’s EU accession bid. “For Austria, the clear EU accession perspective and stability in the Western Balkans are of the utmost interest. This also requires a continuation of the dialogue with Serbia,” Nehammer stressed.

Furthermore, Nehammer affirmed that Vienna would support Kosovo in joining the Council of Europe – which Hungary has stressed it seeks to block

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Albania to Station Police in Schools Minister Announces https://exit.al/en/albania-to-station-police-in-schools-minister-announces/ Fri, 13 Jan 2023 08:00:45 +0000 https://exit.al/en/?p=161765 The Albanian Minister of Eduation Evis Kushi announced that public schools in Albania would be staffed with police officers to ensure a safe environment for students inside and outside the perimeter of the institution. She said that officers are already being trained by the Ministry of the Interior, and while there are 70 such officers

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The Albanian Minister of Eduation Evis Kushi announced that public schools in Albania would be staffed with police officers to ensure a safe environment for students inside and outside the perimeter of the institution.

She said that officers are already being trained by the Ministry of the Interior, and while there are 70 such officers at present, more are foreseen in the future.

“We started this process in 2019, and we have seen that the results of their work in our educational institutions have been high. Now, we have them not only in secondary schools but also in nine-year schools, where there is a large number of students. Our goal is to have security officers in all schools in the coming years. It is a project that is going well, as far as their training is concerned, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior,” Kushi said during a press conference.

The minister said that officers already present in some schools and, in collaboration with teachers, ancillary staff, and school psychologists, have prevented a number of potentially serious events from happening.

Different countries have different approaches to police in schools. In the UK in 2021, the police deployed nearly 700 officers in schools in problematic areas throughout the country. The role of the officers includes being a point of contact for teachers, stopping and searching of students, and even surveillance of those suspected of being gang members.

But in the rest of Europe, it is not so common. In France and Germany, police are sometimes stationed in front of Jewish schools for security reasons, although this is quite rare. In Romania, sometimes private security is stationed in schools, but this is not a regular practice.

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EIB: Albania Must Push Reform, Green Transition to Improve Citizens’ Lives https://exit.al/en/eib-albania-must-push-reform-green-transition-to-improve-citizens-lives/ Tue, 27 Dec 2022 14:08:55 +0000 https://exit.al/en/?p=161740 Governments of the Western Balkans, particularly Albania, must expedite reforms, including those in clean energy and renewables, to reap environmental benefits but also improve living standards, European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice President Lilyana Pavlova told Exit in an interview. Earlier in 2022, the EIB launched a new branch, EIB Global, which focuses on activities outside

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Governments of the Western Balkans, particularly Albania, must expedite reforms, including those in clean energy and renewables, to reap environmental benefits but also improve living standards, European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice President Lilyana Pavlova told Exit in an interview.

Earlier in 2022, the EIB launched a new branch, EIB Global, which focuses on activities outside the European Union, including the Western Balkans, where it is engaged in several initiatives.

As a contracting party of the Energy Community, Albania, which opened EU accession talks in July, is supported in aligning its national legislation with the EU’s, including the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings and Energy Efficiency Directives. 

“As the EU Climate Bank, EIB is already working across the region on deploying clean energy, particularly wind and solar. In order to be able to use more energy from renewable sources, we will continue to also invest in electricity networks and upgrade and expand storage infrastructure that will help boost energy security.” 

“The governments should expedite the reforms needed to improve the capacity to reap the maximum benefits of these investments for citizens and businesses,” Pavlova said.

She added that it is crucial to continue working on increasing the competitiveness of regional economies through the green transition and adherence to EU standards.

This, she stressed, is “vital for creating a better business environment and living standards for people in the region, and for improving employment prospects for highly educated and young people who account for around 40% of emigration from Albania”.

Edi Rama Interview: I cannot tell young people not to leave

Some 700,000 Albanians have left the country in the last 10 years, rising to 1.4 million since the fall of communism in 1991. This summer saw up to 14,000 Albanians flee to the UK via irregular routes, with many seeking asylum, much to the chagrin of British authorities.

The EIB vice president explained that drivers of emigration from Albania and, to some extent, Kosovo include poor living standards, high unemployment rates among young people and a mismatch between labour market demands and skills acquired in educational institutions.

According to a recent announcement made at the EU-Western Balkan Summit in Tirana on 6 December, regional universities will be able to join the European Universities network, allowing students to follow classes in the EU both in-person and online, she said.

Albania has a different set of challenges

Back on the topic of sustainability, Pavlova recognised the immense potential for green energy in the region. In the case of Albania, she noted that due to its use of hydropower and the absence of gas and coal, its challenges are very different from the rest of the region.

“The country could become self-sufficient in clean energy and even a net exporter. Albania is among the European countries with the highest sunshine hours per year and has the highest potential for solar energy in the Western Balkans region,” she said.

Combined with its significant hydropower capacity, it could become a “green battery for the wider region”.

Albanian lakes face water shortage threatening hydropower production

But to really reap the rewards of solar and wind power in Albania, access to financing, reinforcement of the electricity grids, and public awareness of the benefits of renewables needs to be improved further, Pavlova insisted.

“The country has an excellent basis for decarbonisation, reflecting significant progress in recent years across different dimensions,” she said, noting that Albania was “among the first in the region to adopt it’s National Energy and Climate Plan” and also among the first to introduce renewable auctions for solar and wind energy based on a contract for difference support scheme.

But she warned against too much reliance on hydropower in Albania and called for a balance between hydro, solar and wind.

“To reliably balance large fluctuations in the electricity supplied from solar and wind power, a strategy needs to be developed for delivering dispatchable hydroelectric power during periods of little wind or reduced sunshine, as well as maintaining good interconnectivity with neighbouring economies for additional flexibility,” she said.

But in the case of controversial small hydropower plants, which according to studies are not sustainable or practical, they “should undergo environmental and social impact assessments before construction”.

In June 2022, the Albanian government said no hydropower plants would be built on Europe’s last wild river, the Vjosa, following years of international campaigns from environmentalists. However, a large dam in the north of the country, Skavica, which when complete will displace up to 12,000 local residents, is expected to go ahead.

Rural Balkan communities fight back, and win, against hydropower plants

Improving energy efficiency

In Albania, it is not just about ensuring energy is clean and sustainable; a focus should be placed on ensuring that when it is used, it is not wasted, particularly in sectors with high consumption rates like residential and public buildings.

“In 2019, the residential sector accounted for 24% of final energy and 53% of electricity consumption. At present, solar and wind energy account for 2% of residential energy consumption. The renovation of existing buildings is key to reducing the energy consumption of buildings,” she said.

As for schemes and subsidies designed to support consumers, these tend to be small and with multiple beneficiaries, she said. To maximise impact, they should be grouped under larger schemes to benefit from more financing from international finance institutions.

“The EIB Group is working closely with the European Commission and EU member states to ensure the successful roll-out of the Renovation Wave Initiative, which aims to double annual energy renovation rates in the next ten years. We aim to bring this experience to the Western Balkans countries,” she said.

The initiative’s annual meeting, which took place in November, underlined the urgent need to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels in the Western Balkans. This Initiative aims to help the most coal-dependent regions to move away from coal towards a carbon-neutral economy while ensuring that this transition is just.

 

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Kosovo Faces Multiple Energy Crises as Winter Draws In https://exit.al/en/kosovo-faces-multiple-energy-crises-as-winter-draws-in/ Sat, 24 Dec 2022 14:08:10 +0000 https://exit.al/en/?p=161697 As winter draws in and snow settles on the peaks and hills of Kosovo, the permeating odour from burning firewood and pellets, becomes an inescapable part of reality. But the problem goes far beyond a pungent smell and washing that reeks of smoke, as the fumes cause health problems for citizens and drive increased deforestation.

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As winter draws in and snow settles on the peaks and hills of Kosovo, the permeating odour from burning firewood and pellets, becomes an inescapable part of reality. But the problem goes far beyond a pungent smell and washing that reeks of smoke, as the fumes cause health problems for citizens and drive increased deforestation.

If you visit Kosovo any time between late October and March, you cannot help but notice a thick blanket of smoke hovering above the rooftops of its cities, and villages. Swirling grey tendrils wind around the streets and permeate your senses with a strong, ashy, and almost sweet odour. This is the smell of woodsmoke, a scent everyone here knows all too well.

Winters are always harsh in Kosovo, but this year, things are expected to be worse as the energy crisis has driven prices far beyond the reach of the average citizen. As the cost of electricity soars and the government warns of scheduled blackouts due to energy shortages, many are shifting their attention to wood which has also increased in price by 60%.

This situation puts Kosovo’s citizens in an impossible position: to struggle to pay their bills and deal with blackouts, struggle to afford inflated firewood prices, or quite simply, freeze. While many will opt to burn more firewood this year, that brings with it a raft of other issues.

Deforestation, both legal and illegal, has been long-term woe for successive governments. In addition, the shrinking of forests also means fewer trees to sink the carbon released into the atmosphere during the burning process. This results in heavily polluted air across the whole country throughout the winter.

While the energy crisis could drive forward a shift to cleaner energy, that will do little to help those who need help as the long, dark winter months start to draw in.

Albana Gjonbalaj lives on the outskirts of Pristina, and during the winter, she cannot see further than the first row of houses.

“I faced a situation when I cannot open my window to like, like in the fresh air because there is so much smell…”

She recognises that the permeating scent of woodsmoke is a hazard to people’s health but also understands that freezing is not an option.

“Even people who can afford to warm their houses with electricity or with heat pumps and even energy-efficient air conditioners, they will come to a situation when there will be power shortages, you know, electricity reductions and they will have to kind of get another alternative which is firewood.”

If more people switch to wood this winter, already high levels of harmful pollutant particles, could increase.

Professor Zeqir Veselaj, an environmental expert from the University of Prishtina, explains that the particles produced by burning coal and wood for heating also release huge amounts of Co2, making Kosovo one of the most polluted places in the EU, and even the world during the winter.

“Polls shows that premature deaths and other sicknesses related to the air, air quality and air pollution shows that Kosovo is staying in pretty high level of the list of EU countries regarding the pollution with particulate matters 2.5 and 10.”

But air pollution and the hazard it presents to human health and the atmosphere is not the only issue, with negative impacts set to multiply this winter. 

“So the wood cutting will become higher in plants with deforestation and in this way, degeneration of our forests that are in pretty bad situation since the war there is no possibility to regenerate itself from the old cutting, it will become worse than it was it was before and it will influence also the quality of our air it will reduce the area of carbon capture from from the atmosphere,” he explains.

Indira Kartallozi, environmental and community activist and head of Kaledescope Futures has been tracking the issue of deforestation in Kosovo over 20 years and found astonishing results.

“If we continue with the same trend of losing the forest, we will not have any healthy forests by 2035. 7600 hectares over a 20 year period, which is 1.5 hectare per day,” she said.

She explains that the use of wood for heating and cooking is a part of the culture in many communities. Not only that, but many cut it to sell and bring in much needed income.

“We don’t want to point fingers, we want to create partners- we could engage people who cut wood to actually be allowed to cut it. But you can’t go and arrest illegal loggers….I want the illegal loggers to become forest rangers. If we managed to do that, that’s where we will have succeeded.”

With wood becoming expensive and contributing to an already difficult deforestation situation, not to mention the impact it has on the populations health, it is clear that Kosovo needs to speed up its shift towards sustainable energy. 

The experts agree that solar power and wind power are the way forward, along with the use of heat pumps, retrofitting, district heating, and energy efficient heating and cooling methods, as well as boilers that run on biomass. The government has run subsidies for these matters but interest has been high, and cash has run out. 

Kartallozi adds that her organisation is pushing for change at an institutional level, calling for changes in various laws relating to energy, VAT and infrastructure.

“So now we are trying to push the changes in law and procedures for families to be able households to be able to instal their own grids and whether there there is going to be any assistance to help them to do that. “ 

Pristina resident Albana Gjonbala knows that this winter will be difficult and smoky.

“I think the measures that have been taken, they have they should be they should have been done earlier, you know, but given the political situation, given the economical situation, not only in Kosovo. I think maybe this is the way this winter will pass it will be difficult, it will pass people will be looking just to go through the winter of however they can. But then the springtime and summertime it will be a good time to go through it a lot to take additional measures.”

But asides from this, a broader shift in mindset is needed.

“They completely change the attitude and the mindset. And this is what you need. You need to touch them in their hearts. You need to tell them about children and the future. But as long as we’re going to have that coal, and we do have coal, and we’re going to have a problem,” Indira said.

In the meantime, however, the pungent, sweet-smokey smell of woodsmoke continues to lie heavy over Kosovo’s towns and villages. 

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