PROJECT TITLE:

Europeanization of Kosovo’s Environmental Agenda

OVERALL OBJECTIVE:

To foster proactive participation of Civil Society in Kosovo, in policy and decision making, on energy efficiency, environment, and its impact on health, in order to bring environmental policies closer to the EU acquis

LOCATION:

Kosovo

SECTOR:

Environment & Civil Society Development

DURATION:

42 months (15/01/2019 - 15/07/2022)

VALUE:

Total cost of the project € 566,155.10; EU contribution € 503,878.04

IMPLEMENTING AGENCY:

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network - BIRN

PROJECT PURPOSE:

The action purposes are: 1) To enhance CSOs’ and local media capacities to promote energy efficiency, renewables, health, and environmental policies; 2) To strengthen the partnership and dialogue between CSOs, media, and public institutions in the energy sector through public discussions and combined efforts in addressing citizens’ needs; 3) To raise citizens’ awareness, particularly among school-children, on the importance and benefits of healthy choices in energy, food, renewables, and environmental protection.

TARGET AREA:

Kosovo

BENEFICIARIES:

Civil Society Organizations, Kosovo’s youth i.e., primary, high school and university students, journalists, local and central media, professional and young journalists, local and national authorities, legislators, policymakers, Western Balkans CSOs and media, wide public.

ACTIVITIES:

1. Capacity building of at least 50 local CSOs/citizen groups, with a special focus on advocating for energy efficiency and environmental provisions throughout Kosovo 2. Organize two workshops with 30 journalists that focus on improving knowledge and reporting on energy efficiency, health benefits of renewables and good environment, who will publish 30 stories on local and national level media 3. Establish and award 6 journalistic prizes in two years on best stories on energy efficiency, environment and health effects of the environment. 4. Organize two annual ENERGY EFFICIENCY DAYS (EED) a. Two energy themed conferences b. One regional conference c. One international conference d. Two youth mobilization activities, e. Publication of two position papers on energy efficiency, environment & health f. Two media campaigns that include televised debates at national & local level and articles that highlight findings of policy papers produced as a result of this project. g. Four dialogue meetings with about 200 high school & university students overall on the promotion of best energy efficiency/environmental practice. 5. Monitoring the compliance of national and secondary legislation with Energy Community Treaty requirements and EU Acquis (Chapter 15, 27) 6. Advocacy activities/regular meetings with public officials (Parliamentary Committees, Ministries, municipalities & regulatory bodies); 7. Journalistic reporting and analysis on energy/environmental issues resulting in about 50 articles, analysis & TV programmes; 8. One documentary on energy/environmental/health issues broadcast on TV and promoted widely through social media. 9. Environmental education in 20 primary schools on these topics.

RESULTS:

Result 1: Strengthened capacity of >50 CSOs to analyse, monitor, report, and advocate for energy and environmental policies - Strengthened capacities of 191 civil society activists through a training program, of which 146 participants were representatives from non-profit organizations, and 45 were individual activists, including local citizens and young people from the seven biggest municipalities in Kosovo, through organizing seven (7) workshops in seven municipalities of Kosovo; - Organized a youth panel discussion on Kosovo’s water resources with 35 participants from civil society; - Organized a collective youth action with 40 civil society members and environmental activists to plant more than 100 seedlings in urban areas in the municipality of Peja. Result 2: Improved communication and cooperation between CSOs and relevant public institutions in the energy sector Result 3: Improved public awareness on energy, health and environmental policies among Kosovo citizens, and their interlinkages - Produced four televised debates, two televised reportages and and 241 articles, reports and analyses addressing the energy sector, environmental protection, HPPs, coal power plants, waste management problems and illegal dumpsites. Result 4: Improved knowledge and skills of journalists to report on energy efficiency, renewables and environmental issues - Organized a workshop with journalists primarily focused on improving knowledge and reporting on energy efficiency, as well as the health benefits of renewables and a healthy environment (Eighteen (18) local journalists attended the workshop of whom eleven (11) were women and eight (8) were journalists from the Serbian and Turkish communities) - Awarded four journalists for the “three best journalistic stories on the topics of energy efficiency, environmental protection, climate change and environmental impacts on human health”. - Produced, edited and published three award announcement videos in Albanian, Serbian and English on partners’ media/social media platforms.