Western Balkan Just Green Transition

May 2023

The Western Balkan is one of the regions in Europe most heavily affected by the impact of climate change, not at least as it might face considerable increases in temperature. Estimations suggest temperature may increases by 1.7 to 4.0°C, and even exceeding 5.0°C by the end of the century, depending on the global effort in greenhouse gasses emission reduction.

Consequently, green transition and in particular just green transition is an important topic in policy discourse and academic debate. The shift to carbon-neutral technologies is not only necessary it will also have profound impact for Western Balkan societies, economies, and governance processes. The socio-economic challenges and opportunities presented by just green transitions are not necessarily homogenous across Western Balkan. As we have shown in an earlier blogpost (Opens in a new window), countries and regions and can impact differently across diverse societal groups. Furthermore, the development and implementation of effective green transitions requires interactive collaboration and cooperation between policymakers, sectors, researchers and other key stakeholders at transnational, national, regional, and local levels.

Green Agenda for the West Balkans 2021-2030

In line with the EU ambition to become climate-neutral by 2050, the Western Balkan has also committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and to aligning with the European Green Deal’s key elements by endorsing the Green Agenda for the Western Balkan (GAWB) (Opens in a new window) at the Summit in Sofia in 2020, and subsequently the GAWB Action Plan, at the Brdo Summit in October 2021.

The Green Agenda for the Western Balkan aims to accelerate the region's transition towards sustainable development, aligning it with EU environmental standards and fostering a greener and more prosperous future. It addresses environmental challenges, promote climate action, and support the Western Balkan countries in achieving their environmental and climate goals. The main objectives of the agenda concern:

• Cleaning energy sources & protecting the climate;

• Moving to a circular economy;

• Depolluting air, water, and soil;

• Building sustainable agriculture & food systems;

• Protecting biodiversity and ecosystems.

Fostering excellence on green transition

To achieve these objectives, many initiatives accelerate the green transition of the Western Balkan. This includes among others projects fostering excellence on the topic among players in the Western Balkan and stimulating the learning from and together with players from other parts of Europe.

One of these projects is GreenFORCE (Opens in a new window). It is an EU-Horizon funded project, aiming at fostering excellence in the Western Balkans' green transition scientific research and innovation communities, to enhancing their research profile, strengthening research and management capacities of their staff, and contributing to convergence between Western Balkans and EU research capacities. The main partners of the GreenFORCE project are Co-PLAN, Institute for Habitat Development (Opens in a new window) in Albania, the Center for Economic Analyses (CEA) (Opens in a new window) in North Macedonia, and University of Belgrade - Faculty of Geography (UB-GEF) (Opens in a new window) in Serbia. The are supported by partners in Italy and Sweden.

The aim of the twinning initiative is to work closely to produce territorial knowledge through exploratory research and institutional learning; transfer and exchange knowledge among partner organisations through applying the knowledge management cycle; and engage in networking for sharing, cross-fertilising and amplifying knowledge at the societal level. Ultimately, the ambition is to transcend from individual learning to enabling institutional learning, making sure that research and research management practices become institutionalised within the recipient organisations.

Governance is the key to a green transition of the Western Balkan

The GreenFORCE project identified a series of key topics for the green transition of the Western Balkan:

• Green Transition concept & contextualisation

• Climate change: risk management and adaptation

• Industrial Transitions

• Renewable energies

• Energy Efficiency

• Smart and Sustainable Transport

• Circular Economy: Recycling, Waste and Plastics

• Water Depollution

• Air Depollution

• Developing Rural Areas

In addition, governance and planning are an essential enabler of the green transition addressed in the context of GreenFORCE. The Western Balkan faces challenges due to its fragmentation and various obstacles, including political, geographical, economic, and sociocultural factors. Governance mechanisms need to be developed to turn these obstacles into opportunities, particularly at the regional and transnational levels. Alignment with international climate goals, especially those outlined in the EU Green Deal, is crucial, and dialogue between Western Balkan countries and the European Commission is necessary for effective policy implementation and monitoring.

In short, a just green transition of the Western Balkan requires a multilevel governance approach building on collaborative planning processes. As already underlined in the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans this includes four main elements: integrated and coherent policies across different governance levels, empowering sub-national institutions, platforms for knowledge sharing and collaboration, and public engagement through digital tools.

There are strong potential for building partnerships and collaborations at the regional and cross-border levels which can help to improve governance processes towards a green transition. Existing institutions such as the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) (Opens in a new window) and the Western Balkan Network on Territorial Governance (tg-net) (Opens in a new window) can play a role in fostering macro-regional cooperation. Additionally, local governments have an important role to play in addressing environmental and social issues through territorial governance, spatial planning, and sustainable practices. The RCC and the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS) (Opens in a new window) can facilitate knowledge sharing and best practices among municipalities.

The involvement of key sectors such as construction, textiles, plastics, and electronics is crucial for a successful just green transition. Sectoral organisations and groups can assist in developing transition roadmaps. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play a significant role in policy processes, advocating for vulnerable groups and monitoring the implementation of just green transitions. Citizen engagement and awareness are important, with the creation of platforms such as the NGO Forum on the Green Agenda for Western Balkans to facilitate knowledge sharing and citizen involvement.

Hands-on governance and stakeholder challenges need to be addressed within highly centralised governance systems in the Western Balkans. There is a need to strengthen governance structures and networks that foster dialogue among policymakers, researchers, and other key actors. Furthermore, citizen engagement should be proactive rather than passive, and policies and consultation processes should be framed in a language that raises awareness and promotes active citizen participation.

In summary, a collaborative and inclusive approach to the just green transition in the Western Balkans is needed. This requires multi-level governance, stakeholder engagement, and citizen involvement to overcome challenges, tap into opportunities, and achieve sustainable and green development in the region.

By Kai Böhme & Anila Bejko

See also