ECOLOGY

Following last year’s September elections in Slovakia, we are witnessing a textbook example of the breakdown of democratic principles. For the fourth time, the position of Prime Minister has been filled by Robert Fico, whose party SMER (Direction) has formed a coalition with Hlas (Voice), a party that broke away from SMER, and the nationalist Slovenská národná strana (Slovak National Party). We cannot base our expectations of the current Government on Fico’s previous terms in office, though. While in the past Fico was leaning toward the EU and wanted to be part of its core, during the COVID-19 pandemic his stance turned quite anti-European and hateful.

In the Czech Republic, the environment remains sidelined as a policy issue in comparison to many other EU Member States. While there have been some positive developments thanks to EU measures and financial support, numerous challenges remain unresolved.

Energy communities are a collaborative model that constitutes the perfect vessel for directly involving citizens and local communities in renewable energy facilities. As energy communities can have a strong social impact, they play an important role in society - beyond clean energy production. Here are ten examples of economic, social and environmental benefits of energy communities!