Invite: press briefing on new report – ‘Chronic Coal Pollution – EU Action on the Western Balkans will improve health and economies across Europe’

The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe and CEE Bankwatch invite you to a press briefing on the latest analysis of the health and economic costs to Europe caused by air pollution from coal power plants in the Western Balkans.

The briefing will take place at the HEAL offices, Blvd Charlemagne 28, Brussels, on Tuesday 19 February 2019, 9-10.00 am.

The region’s 16 outdated coal power plants threaten public health by producing enormous amounts of air pollution, impacting people in the region, the European Union and beyond. The latest analysis, based on a methodology used by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission shows that people and health systems in the EU28 bear the brunt of inefficient power generation in the Western Balkans. Directly neighbouring countries which often are already struggling to stick to EU air quality standards are especially affected.

The press briefing will be a chance to get detailed insights into the report’s findings and to discuss policy recommendations with authors as well as with high-level speakers including from the European Commission and the Energy Community Secretariat. In addition, it will be an occasion to learn about the first ever ranking of the top ten most polluting coal power plants in the European region, with Western Balkan power plants leading the list.

Please register here

Speakers:

Janez Kopač, Director of the Energy Community Secretariat

Davor Percan, Head of Unit, DG Environment

Anne-Charlotte Bournoville, Head of Unit, DG Energy

Anne Stauffer, Director for Strategy and Campaigns, Health and Environment Alliance, HEAL

Vlatka Matkovic Puljic, Senior Health and Energy Officer, HEAL, lead author of the report

Contacts:

Elke Zander, Communications and Media Coordinator at HEAL: elke@env-health.org or call +32 (0)2 234 36 47

Stevan Vujasinović, Southeast Europe Communications Coordinator at CAN Europe, stevan@caneurope.org or call +381 (0)63 390 218