Projects

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR THE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN MUNICIPALITIES OF SOUTHEAST EUROPE

(www.energy-project.info)

Project Financing:

Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
German federal ministry for economic development and cooperation (BMZ)

Project Duration: 2011 - 2014

Project Status: The project has been approved by the supporting organizations in December 2010

Regional project activities have intensively been implemented throughout 2011.

Background:

• Current energy systems in many municipalities hinder economic development in SEE
• Limited municipal, economic operators‘ and private households financial resources & budgets (energy losses, high maintenance and repair cost, monopoly structures that dictate prices etc.)
• Municipal energy systems are mostly incompliant with today’s environmental standards

Project Goals:

Strengthening of the competencies and capacities of 8 participating municipalities´ administration to modernize their energy systems towards:

• Increased energy efficiency
• Economic efficiency
• Sustainability
• Protection of the environment
• Local value generation from decentralized energy production

General Approach and main activities:

• Focus on small and medium sized municipalities as they are neglected in international know-how transfer and investments
• Regional approach in order to work on existing challenges and offer exchange of solutions in the comparable municipalities
• Sensitization of community leaders and citizens to the potential economic and environmental gains through energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy resources
• Training and transfer of applicable know how, skills and tools for the technical and financial development of municipal energy concepts and for efficiently managing energy pilot projects
• Information and consultancy of communal administrations for concepts and preparation of contracts for public private partnerships in the energy sector
• Exchange of experience with German municipalities and communal enterprises
• Specialized study tours to regional best practice examples
• Consulting municipalities in development, design and implementation of pilot projects

Participating municipalities:

• Gjilan, Kosovo
• Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Kesan, Turkey
• Mezdra, Bulgaria
• Mojkovac, Montenegro
• Pancevo, Serbia
• Shkodra, Albania
• Strumica, Macedonia

Further potential participants:

• representatives of local community associations and umbrella organizations
• technology suppliers from the private sector for PPP models
• international financing and donor organizations
• NGOs in the areas of environmental protection and community development
• German municipalities with the best practice projects

Expected Project Outputs:

• Modern communal energy concepts developed in a participatory process
• Feasibility studies for specific projects related to energy efficiency and renewable energy created
• Funding sources for local investments in energy pilot projects obtained
• Experience and knowledge of distribution of the modernization process by linking project participants through the Internet platform exchanged and regional events organised
• Pilot projects implemented

Project organisation and structure:

Implementing Partners

GIZ: Financing, international coordination, liaison with international stakeholders, quality supervision

Municipal administrations of 8 municipalities/cities: Implementing bodies

BalkanNet: Regional coordination, logistic support, running internet platform, public relations

Green City Energy, Germany: Training and know how transfer

Project budget: ca. 300.000 EUR

Important websites:

www.giz.org

www.greencity-energy.de

 

IMPROVEMENT OF MANAGEMENT CAPACITIES OF PUBLIC COMMUNAL ENTERPRISES IN ALBANIA AND MACEDONIA

Project financing:

Central European Initiative (CEI) through the Austrian Development Cooperation Agency (ADA) and own resources from Balkan Net and the project stakeholders ADKOM and ERRU

This project was in line with the CEI Plan of Action 2010-2012 (Human resource development) as well as with the KEP (know-how exchange program) priority areas: strengthening capacities of central administration (including institution building, improvement of efficiency and performance of the State administration).

Project goal:

applying of good practices towards long-term financial and investment planning, sustainable commercialization of public communal enterprise (PCE), particularly improving their economic performance, efficiency and competitiveness, profitability and value.

Implementation partners:

• Balkan Net, International Foundation (project needs identification, project design and regional coordination, implementation and management)
• Kommunalkredit Public Consulting GmbH (providing of training curricula and trainers)
• Association of PCE of Macedonia – ADKOM (local coordination of the
• Water Regulatory Entity of Albania

Project Implementation period: May – October 2010

Participants: Senior managers of different sectors of 17 public communal enterprises from Macedonia and Albania

Project Outcomes:

• Enable municipal, regional or state “owners” (such as boards, mayors, municipal finance departments) to adequately control their stakes in PCE and adequately exercise their rights and obligations in an informed and proactive manner,
• Enable senior utility managers to improve the long-term financial and operational performance of their organizations.

Project Outputs – results of the project. The project contributed to the realization of the following results:

• Improving organizational development - Enabling mid and higher management of enterprises to use appropriate, state of the art and simplified management instruments and practices; understand the specifics of management of municipal/public enterprises in comparison to the “private businesses”.
• Facilitating the human resources development, facilitating efficient and sustainable organizational structures within the enterprise, within and between its departments, as well as in the relations with the owners, partners and customers.
• Advancing financial performance and investment. Planning and facilitating transparency, creating pre-requisites to establish appropriate financial management and controlling tools for an anticipatory and proactive management at all levels, and providing information to the public, supervisory institutions, investors, banks and other (potential) financiers.

Project modules:

Module 1: Introduction to Financial Planning for Water Utility Companies

Module 2: Introduction to Multiyear Investment Planning

Module 3: Performance Based Contracts and Benchmarking

Module 4: Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and Project Finance

Module 5: Practical Guidelines for Working with IFIs and Donors

Project budget: Approx. 54.000 EUR

Important websites:

www.cei.net

www.ada.gov.at

www.publicconsulting.at

www.adkom.org.mk

www.erru.al

 

The Road to Acceptable IPA CBC Joint Project Applications between Bulgaria and Macedonia

International workshops held in

• Vinica, Macedonia, October 30th to October 31st, 2009
• Sandanski, Bulgaria, November 29th to November 30th, 2009

Objectives and results:

The programs IPA and CBC provide funding resources for cross border cooperation of new EU and EU pre-accession countries, granted by the EU and other donors.

On behalf of the GTZ Macedonia and the Association for Regional Economic Development of the Bregalnica and Strumica Region and in close cooperation with the Bulgarian Association of Municipal Clerks, BalkanNet designed, implemented and moderated the international project “The Road to Acceptable IPA CBC Joint Project Applications between Bulgaria and Macedonia”.

Overall objective of the action is to contribute to strengthening the capacities for and the commitment to regional development in Macedonia and Bulgaria.

The project goal read: “Cross-border project ideas are collected and the relevant Bulgarian and Macedonian organizations are enabled to jointly elaborate and write project applications for the IPA CBC program.”

More than 25 participants from both countries (municipal clerks, member of the associations, local and international consultants etc.) were involved. The project was implemented in the eastern part of Macedonia and the western part of Bulgaria.

In the end, the following two project applications for the CBC program were submitted:

• “Establishment of Macedonian-Bulgarian mobile festival – Pleasured Planet”
• “Cultural organisation networking towards acceleration of cross-border tourism”

Project budget: 14.500 EUR

www.ipa-cbc-007.eu

 

Municipal Waste Water High Technologies - MADE IN GERMANY

International conference, Belgrade, March 18 - 20, 2009

Objectives and results:

The German manufacturer of sophisticated technologies for treatment of municipal and industrial waste water TIA-ABWASSER (www.tia-abwasser.de) and the international foundation Balkan Net organized an international conference on Municipal Waste Water High Technologies in Belgrade. The conference was supported by the German Governmental Capacity Building and Development Organisation InWEnt (www.inwent.org). Main aim of the conference was to present the recent technological achievements in treatment of municipal and industrial waste water to interested stake-holders from Serbia, Bulgaria and Albania.

The conference involved Managers of wastewater treatment plants and water supply companies from Albania, Serbia and Bulgaria, mayors and government representatives. The 63 participants enjoyed the lively discussions of the successful conference.

 

Establishing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in South East Europe

Consortium: BASME - Balkan Net Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro

( www.basme.com.mk ), ( www.csr-see.com), ( www.csr-award.com )

01/06/2007 to 31/12/2008

Objectives and results of the project:

The purpose of the project is to introduce Social Responsibility (CSR) in South East Europe. Enterprises will be introduced to CSR and to CSR’s possible contribution to their business success. The project aims to animate 2.000 regional enterprises to participate with own CSR projects, to promote the CSR in the institutions through public relation activities, to establish a point of contact in every involved country and to spread the idea of CSR in general.

Together with ILTIS, Germany ( www.iltis.de) the consortium BASME - Balkan Net is coordinating and implementing the project on behalf of InWEnt for the Balkan region.

Budget: 72.000 €, funded by InWEnt

 

Waste Water High Technologies – Made in Germany

BalkanNet with TIA – ABWASSER, Germany

( www.tia-abwasser.de )

01/11/2007 to 01/02/2008

Objectives and results of the project:

The purpose of the project is to introduce Waste Water High Technologies – Made in Germany by presenting a German model of communal and industrial waste water treatment to the Macedonian line ministries, associations and public communal enterprises. To this end, two international workshops were organized in Macedonia and in Germany by the international foundation BALKAN Net on behalf of the German enterprise TIA – ABWASSER. BALKAN Net organized the invitation procedures, provided the necessary logistics, translation and interpretation services and accompanied the official Macedonian delegation, consisting of Mayors, Directors of the public communal enterprises and senior government officials during the visit in Germany.

Budget: 10.035,00 €

Establishment of a Public Private Partnership Unit within the Macedonian Ministry of Economy

Consortium: ARÖW, BalkanNet

01/11/2007 to 01/10/2008

Objectives and results of the project:

Motivated by the desire to continue and broaden the successful cooperation and aiming to avoid overlapping of donor funding and activities, the Ministry of economy of the Republic of Macedonia, the international foundation BalkanNet and the USAID’s Business Environment Activity has established a process of cooperation by the establishment of the PPP Unit within the Macedonian Ministry of Economy.

ARÖW, Germany and BalkanNet contribute with general organization of the entire project, provision of local and international expertise, moderation of the seminars and workshops etc.

Budget: 43.228,00 €, co-funded by InWEnt ( www.inwent.org ) and USAID/BEA ( www.bea.org.mk )

 

MINSER - PPP Project for Modernization and Ecological Sanitation of Mining and Energy sector in Serbia

Consortium: ZAB – Zukunft Agentur Brandenburg, TU- Bergakademie Freiberg, Ministry of mining and energy of Republic of Serbia, BalkanNet

01/09/2007 to 31/12/2008

Objectives and results of the project:

In the frame of the project MINSER (Mining Serbia) five workshops for Serbian stakeholders in the field of mining and energy sector take place, where Germany experts transfer their know-how and experience to Serbian colleagues. The project is based on the experience of modernization of mining sector in East Germany, especially in the states of Brandenburg, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. So far three workshop were held and it is planned that two more workshop and one capacity building seminar will take place. Two Serbian experts shall attend a three week study tour to German mining organizations and enterprises.

Budget: 290.000,00 €, co-financed by InWEnt, Zukunftsagentur Brandenburg ( www.zab-brandenburg.de/de/2505_1761.aspx ) and private partners.

Market research in Albania

BalkanNet Albania with CIVET 2000 (www.civet2000.com )

01/08/2008 to 30/09/2008

Objectives and results of the project:

BalkanNet Albania and CIVET 2000 performed a market research project in Albania on behalf of the Macedonian company Fuchs Mak. The scope of the study was to identify potential companies as selling and distribution companies for FUCHS lubricants in Albania.

For the interview a questionnaire was prepared as guidance for the discussion with the companies, in accordance with the client’s requests. Contacts were made with experienced companies enjoying a good market reputation in the country. Out of 17 identified businesses, 14 were contacted. The outcome of the market research was a recommendation for five companies. These companies were then contacted directly by Fuchs Mak in order the make the final selection.

The service provided by BalkanNet/CIVET2000 was evaluated as excellent by the Macedonian customer.

Client: private Macedonian company Fuchs Mak.