Bio Screen CEE

As a result of coal phase-out, many residents in the Central and Eastern Europe region turn to raw firewood as heating material. This causes an expansion of commercial-scale biomass use. Due to a lack of biomass sustainability criteria in the national and local policies, ineffective biomass utilisation has serious implications for the region’s climate, forests, and local communities.

In order to prevent an increase in forestry biomass usage, Bio Screen CEE advances policy implementation in the energy sector in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania. To this end, the project evaluates energy use plans and their deficiencies. On the basis of the obtained data, stakeholders recommend appropriate alternatives to forest biomass to firewood-dependent municipalities and advocate these alternatives to national policy makers. Furthermore, the project introduces biomass sustainability criteria which go beyond those in the European Renewable Energy Directive II (REDII). Through such adaptation and subsequent implementation of REDII, complemented by national energy and climate plans, the project contributes significantly to achieving EU climate targets.

• Sound analyses for sustainable biomass: National and regional analyses and case studies for three pilot municipalities provided a reliable basis for decision-making on sustainable biomass use. Local data collection and the calculation of alternative energy scenarios gave municipalities clear options for climate-friendly energy production and emission reduction.
• Dialogues promote political decision-making: In Bulgaria and Hungary, the project initiated dialogues with national authorities, NGOs and business partners on sustainable biomass use. In this way, the project strengthened political decision-making capacity and provided concrete recommendations for reducing CO2 emissions.
• Pilot projects for alternative energy scenarios: Two pilot municipalities in Romania developed alternative energy scenarios, changed their energy practices and thus contributed to a measurable reduction in emissions.