The Civil Society and Think Tank Forum (CSF) within the framework of the Berlin Process will be held on October 14-15 in Tirana. The main objective of the FSB is to facilitate constructive and inclusive discussions on regional challenges. The forum is structured around seven thematic working groups, each led by civil society organizations from the region. These working groups actively engaged in a comprehensive consultation process, involving civil society and regional experts, to collaboratively formulate policy recommendations.
During the conference, participants will have the opportunity to discuss issues related to the climate and green agenda and how to unite for sustainable infrastructure, biodiversity protection and effective management.
The thematic working group “Climate and Green Agenda”, led by the Institute for Good Governance and Environmental and Climate Change Policies (IPECC) dedicated several rounds of consultations to provide recommendations to the leaders of the EU and Western Balkan countries.
President of IPECC Jadranka IvanovA said for ISF that discussions focused on the theme of “Investments in Green Infrastructure”, highlighting the importance of “Good environmental governance” and “Biodiversity and protection of natural resources”.
“Therefore, the prepared group of recommendations is related to these issues. Some of these are aimed at EU leaders and mainly respond to the need for more substantial financial support for WB countries in order to meet EU requirements and reduce the current backlog compared to to EU Member States. The EU and WB countries have a shared responsibility to improve environmental performance in the WB region,” explains Ivanova.
She adds that civil society organizations are calling on the EU to establish a financing instrument which will take into account the membership needs of countries in the region and which will be based on the operational mode of the solidarity and cohesion policy and will explore the possibility of creating a “WB6 Regional Hub focused on infrastructure projects”. Additionally, the TWG calls on EU leaders to allocate around 30% of its climate-related funding to Western Balkan countries to be invested in biodiversity and nature-based solutions.
Regarding recommendations for countries in the region, Ivanova says governments in the region should take rapid steps to strengthen the capacities of national and subnational authorities with environmental and climate change responsibilities, including efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of donor programs. and management and formulate and implement sound policies for staff retention.
“By doing so, Western Balkan countries will be better placed to address the complexities of environmental compliance and achieve climate neutrality, in line with the objectives of the EU integration process and the Green Agenda. Furthermore, the government should recognize and use The ability of CSOs to play an important role in meeting certain capacity needs, thereby supporting the Western Balkan countries,” says Ivanova.
According to her, it is important that WB leaders strive to secure sustainable financing to preserve and restore the region’s natural resources.
“They should increase funding for biodiversity protection to 30% of total national environment and climate funding over the next five years. Furthermore, it is crucial to align policies with the EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy and implement measures to create a network of well-managed protected areas, covering at least 30% of land and sea areas, a third of which are designated as strictly protected,” adds Ivanova.
She believes that WB countries are simultaneously facing significant challenges related to climate and the Green Agenda, adding that these challenges are not unique to the region and have been observed in many other countries around the world.
However, Ivanova highlights some challenges common to all Western Balkan countries, such as environmental degradation, lack of energy diversity and green transition, inadequate waste management, vulnerability to climate change, as well as financing insufficient national policy for environmental and climate change issues.
Speaking about the EU’s role in improving the situation in the region regarding climate and green agenda, Ivanova emphasizes that the EU plays a central and multifaceted role in several key aspects.
“Above all, the EU serves as a guiding force in setting the environmental and climate standards that Western Balkan (WB) countries aspire to meet. This important role provides clear direction for environmental policies and practices in the region. Without EU guidance, World Bank countries would face considerable challenges in solving environmental and climate problems. The EU accession process encourages and obliges World Bank countries to harmonize their legislation and policies with the EU acquis, which is a fundamental step towards achieving progress in the sector. “environment and climate,” says Ivanova.
According to her, the EU is also the largest financial contributor to the region, providing substantial financial assistance through various financing mechanisms. She adds that for more than a decade, The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) has provided significant resources to support environmental protection and sustainable development in WB countries.
She explains that the EU plays a central role in strengthening the capacities of WB administrations, both at national and local level.
“This is achieved through technical assistance and by allowing WB countries to participate in EU expert bodies and structures. By monitoring the progress of the Western Balkans in the EU accession process, the EU serves as a corrective measure by providing valuable information and advice to improve the environmental situation. This monitoring extends to environmental issues, including emissions and environmental quality, ensuring that progress complies with EU standards,” explains Jadranka Ivanova.
On the question of how far the Western Balkans stand against EU standards in this area, Ivanova emphasizes that the region has made progress in aligning with EU standards. by aligning their national legislation with EU standards. However, countries have not yet reached a satisfactory level of progress in terms of implementing the legislation.
“In fact, the European Commission’s 2022 annual progress reports show that WB6 has weak and limited administrative capacity, a moderate level of transposition and is at an early stage of implementing the EU environmental acquis,” adds Ivanova.
According to her, tThe situation is further aggravated by the insufficiency and weak administrative capacity to effectively use EU funds already provided, thus adding a level of complexity to the current difficult situation resulting from the need for additional financial resources and substantial reforms in the sector.
“It is evident that the Western Balkan countries have not fully exploited the opportunities offered by the EU accession process, as they have struggled to successfully use the available funds. To improve the situation, we must strengthen transparency and governance in environmental and climate change efforts. This means fighting corruption, improving law enforcement and increasing public participation in the management of EU IPA funds,” emphasizes Jadranka Ivanova.
It concludes that all Balkan countries must strengthen their administrative capacity to join the EU Single Administrative Space, establishing a merit-based administration and implementing retention policy instruments are conditions essential prerequisites to meet EU standards.