Protected areas in the Balkans

Southeast Europe boasts a wide variety of landscapes, ecosystems and endemic species. What is unusual is that such valuable areas, which fully deserve protection,…

Rural and urban population in the Balkans

In the meantime, the rural exodus is continuing all over the region, particularly in Albania where people are deserting mountain areas and the population…

Human development – socio-economic indicators in central and east Europe, 2004

Central and Eastern Europe is varied in the levels of development indicators such as, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Human Development Index (HDI), life expectancy…

Economic trends in the Balkans, GDP 1995-2005

All of the Balkans countries have shown an increase in the Gross Domestic Product from the period spanning 1995 - 2005. However Slovenia and…

Output of copper mines in Serbia 1990-2005, compared to Western Europe

Between 1944 and 1991, the mining, processing, and downstream exploitation of base metals established the Balkans as a major European source of copper, lead,…

Organic farming in Europe, surface area by country

Shelves in western Europe are increasingly laden with 'organic' products and growing numbers of consumers are giving preference to quality food rather than standardized…

Balkans: hazardous industrial sites, water pollution and mining hot spots

The environmental legacy associated with extraction industries is all too familiar. Badly operated or abandoned mining sites have already caused severe pollution, some with…

Export volumes of pharmaceutical plants from Bulgaria, Albania, Croatia and Romania in 2000

The greater Balkan region is remarkably rich with the potential to play an important part in the regional and global market for medicinal plants.…

Total sturgeon catch in the Caspian Sea, 1932-2000

Pressure from the international community having raised awareness of its value as a bio-resource, the region is now struggling to save the sturgeon. To…

Share of food in total household expenses (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan)

In all the areas bordering on the Caspian, priority must be given to diversifying activities and investment. Particular attention should be given to sectors…

Oil production and forecasts – Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan

For the Caspian Sea countries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the extraction of oil represents a significant resource, and the production has been increasing…

The inlet of the bay of Kara-Bogaz-Gol before and after the construction of the dam (Turkmenistan, Caspian Sea)

Kara-Bogaz-Gol is a lowland area that forms a highly saline bay on the east side of the Caspian Sea, in Turkmenistan. In Soviet times…