PODGORICA - The Balkan River Summit 2024 was held in Podgorica to help save the valuable rivers in the Balkans that are in danger of damming.

 The Summit brought together over 100 international conservation experts, scientists, and activists in Podgorica, Montenegro, from 29 of September to 3 October. The event titled, “Uniting Voices for the Blue Heart of Europe” aimed at bringing together river defenders to protect the Balkan rivers and protest the imminent threat the rivers are facing from hydropower development.

 Not only are rivers under attack, but those defending them. Environmental activists across the region have been subjected to systematic intimidation, including legal harassment (e.g SLAPP cases), media smear campaigns, physical threats, for advocating for the protection of nature.

 In response, attendees signed a joint statement, urging national governments, regional authorities, and corporations to cease the harassment of environmental defenders and respect their fundamental rights.

 “It’s vital that we unite for our rivers and ensure that both nature and the defenders of these ecosystems are safeguarded from harm. By standing together, we send a strong message that these precious ecosystems, and the people fighting for them, deserve the highest level of protection.” said Amelie Huber (EuroNatur), the lead organizer of the event. Her words underscored the collaborative spirit of the summit, which was further reinforced by a message from UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders, Michel Forst. In his video address, Forst encouraged participants to report cases of harassment, showing his support for those fighting on the front lines of environmental protection.

 The Summit hosted a public kayak floatilla where the slogan, “Keep rivers wild” floated across the Morača River, symbolizing the shared commitment to persevering these integral ecosystems. The host of this collective Summit is hoping to reach national attention to further bring light to the danger the rivers are facing. “Hosting the Balkan River Summit 2024 here in Montenegro gives us the opportunity to draw attention to our national river issues and call on our government to take stronger action in protecting these vital ecosystems,” said Jelena Popovic from the Montenegrin Ecologists Society.

 "The rivers of the Balkans are natural jewels for the whole of Europe. Our fight to protect them determines not only the fate of these rivers, but the future of a Europe we want to live in. Do we want a continent with living rivers or not? Do we want a Europe with the Blue Heart beating or not? If we don’t stand united and act now, we risk losing them forever," concluded Ulrich Eichelmann from Riverwatch.

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