Study Resource Efficiency Gains and Green Growth Perspectives in Bosnia and Herzegovina Svetlana Cenic September 2012 n Environmental policy making in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains at an early stage, at least in part due to lack of administrative capacity. So far, BiH has not adopted EU Law on Environmental Protection, although it committed itself to do so with the signing of the SAA. Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only country in Europe that does not have either a Ministry or an Agency for environmental protection at the national level. BiH has signed and ratified the Arhus Convention, which relates to access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in relation to the environment. n The energy structure is dominated by coal(64 per cent of Total Primary Energy Sup­ply), Oil products make for around 19 per cent, while hydro and natural gas account for about 6 per cent each. Bosnia and Herzegovina‘s carbon intensity is one of the highest in the Western Balkans, Emissions have tripled since 1995, coal accounts for 75 per cent of emissions. n Energy intensity has improved since 2000(by about 10 per cent) but it remains high due to inefficient use of energy. Energy Intensity is estimated about 4 times above the average for OECD Europe. This reflects high levels of losses in energy transformation and inefficient conversion of primary energy particularly in power generation. Energy end-use is also inefficient. The buildings sector(private, public and residential) accounts for one-third of Total Fuel Consumption. Buildings are gen­erally poorly insulated, generating heat losses of more than 30 per cent. In addition, since the gas distribution network is not fully connected, the majority of the heating requirements of households are met by electricity, which is used inefficiently. n There is significant potential for reducing the burden of expenditure in energy servic­es in the public and private sectors by improving energy efficiency. Improving energy efficiency would also yield positive economic value through increased employment, more competitive economies and eventually increased power exports. Despite this significant potential, several market barriers to energy efficiency exist.