Environment

Screening on agriculture, rural development begins

BELGRADE -- The explanatory screening for Chapter 11 dealing with agriculture and rural development is being held in Brussels from Tuesday to Thursday.

The announcement came from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS).

EVN has requested that renewable energy plants connected to its power grid in Bulgaria dwindle production capacities by 60%.

The decision will be in force on Wednesday. It is unknown whether it is related to a dispute between the state electricity company and power distributors in Bulgaria.

The minister said Albania had already “consolidated legal framework on the environment, but criminal sentences for those who break the law should be increased.

“The current measures are not enough,” he told an international conference on the environment held in Tirana.

Bulgaria's State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation is to decide Wednesday on a procedure for the termination of the licenses of the three power distributors.

The debts of heating utility Toplofikatsiya Sofia to the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) have increased to BGN 555 000 000.

The debts of the heating utility increased after BEH was forced to yet again buy a portion of the debt of Toplofikatsiya Sofia to state-owned gas supplier Bulgargaz worth BGN 128 M, according to reports of the BGNES news agency.

By Alexandra Kassimi

In good news for public transport users in Athens, there has been a positive development in the tender for the introduction of electronic tickets, which has been 10 years in the making.

Transport organization OASA on Tuesday provisionally selected the Terna Energy-LG CNS consortium as the preferred bidder.

Two of three of Bulgaria's electricity distribution companies (EDCs), EVN and CEZ, expressed their concern with the situation with the country's energy sectors. 

The two, plus Energo-Pro, are threatened with losing their licenses, unless they pay to Bulgaria's National Electricity Company (NEK) BGN 318 M by the end of today. 

A moderate quake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale rattled Cephalonia on Tuesday morning as the Ionian Sea island continues efforts to recover from a large tremor in January that caused significant damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure.

The Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association (BPVA) has proposed the establishment of an energy board for the financial stabilization and restructuring of the energy sector.

Meglena Rusenova, BPVA Chair, explained Monday that the proposal had been triggered by the processes taking place in the energy sector over the past few days.

The Greek human rights and anti-apartheid lawyer who was part of the team defending Nelson Mandela at the landmark Rivonia Trial in 1963-64 will be the keynote speaker on Wednesday at an event organized by the Hellenic African Chamber of Commerce in Athens in honor of the late South African statesman who died in December.