Yesterday, around 5,000 people took to the streets in Belgrade to protest against the sell-off of the rivers in Serbia, particularly against the planned construction of hundreds of hydropower projects. More than 850 hydropower plants are officially planned in Serbia, about 200 of which within nature reserves such as national parks, nature parks, etc.

++ 80,000 kilometers of rivers in the Balkans scientifically assessed ++ 76 percent thereof identified as no-go zones for hydropower development ++ Switch in energy policy is necessary and possible ++ Three quarters of the rivers in the Balkans are ecologically so valuable, that they should be completely off limits for hydropower development. This is the conclusion of the Eco-Masterplan, which was published today.

We all need water to survive. But without healthy rivers, lakes and wetlands, there is no water. The sources of Europe’s water are protected under EU law – but many EU governments want to weaken the law. Together, we MUST stop this from happening. The European Commission now wants you to have your say through its public consultation. This is your only chance to tell them to keep our water law strong.