The Council of Europe's Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wild Flora and Fauna and Natural Habitats decided last week to open a case-file against Bosnia and Herzegovina demanding to stop all hydropower plants in the Neretva River system and to establish protected areas instead.

Several large and small hydropower projects along the upper reaches of the Neretva are threatening to destroy one of Europe’s most precious and valuable river systems. Several fish species such as Adriatic trout, Soft-mouth trout, and Marble trout are at risk if these projects become reality.

In this year’s annual meeting in Strasbourg, France from November 28th to December 2nd, the Standing Committee discussed the complaint submitted by several national and international NGOs in 2020.

Following the complaint, the Bern Convention carried out a so-called On the Spot Appraisal (OSA) by the independent expert Dr Gregory Egger (Austria) in October this year. In their meeting on Friday, December 2, the members of the Standing Committee agreed to demand from Bosnia and Herzegovina to halt all hydropower projects and declare large parts as protected areas, instead.

The Standing Committee recommendso the Bosnian government to halt the construction of the hydropower plant Ulog, to prohibit implementation of the hydro-electric system Gornja Neretva and cancel the granted concessions, due to the profound negative impact and to remove the concerned projects from the Spatial plan.

It also asked the authorities to officially declare the Upper Neretva as an adopted Emerald Network site, to prohibit implementation of the currently dormant hydropower plant projects Glavaticevo and Bjelimici and to remove the concerned projects from the Spatial plan.

Concerning planned hydropower plants along the Upper Neretva tributaries, the authorities were also asked to halt all planning and permitting of the projects until the area is officially declared as an adopted Emerald Network site, and to mplement a ban on development of further hydropower plants in the candidate Emerald Network site as well as all other candidate Emerald sites in the Neretva River basis.

“The opening of the case is a truly important precedent and a big step for our country in relation to the more efficient implementation of the Bern Convention,” said Emina Veljovic, executive director of the Aarhus Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the complainants.

“The Neretva is one of the most valuable river systems we have left in Europe. The number of rare and threatened species is not even fully known. However, more than 70 hydropower projects are threatening the Neretva and its tributaries, making this river system also the continent’s most threatened river. The decision of the Bern Convention is a big support for our aim to save this river,” said Ulrich Eichelmann from Riverwatch.

“We expect the competent decision-makers in Bosnia and Herzegovina to be guided by the recommendations adopted by the Council of Europe and to implement them without delay,” concluded Redzib Skomorac, legal adviser at the Center for Environment in BiH.