Moving towards an inclusive green agenda in the Western Balkans

Policy Brief

This policy brief examines the attempts of the Western Balkan (WB) countries to transition from a carbon-based to a carbon-free economy, highlighting the role of the European Union’s Green Agenda.

Introduced in 2020 as part of the EU’s broader Green Deal, the Green Agenda provides a framework for aligning the region with EU environmental goals, even though the countries of the WB are not themselves EU member states.

The brief explores how the Green Agenda contributes to the WB’s integration into the Union through environmental reforms and the alignment of the region’s economic and institutional systems with EU standards.

Progress has been made in the WB in adopting renewable energy sources, climate adaptation strategies and legislative changes, but significant challenges remain. These include coal dependency, inadequate waste and water management, air pollution and energy poverty. This brief identifies areas for improvement, stressing the need to implement a more inclusive approach and to foster multilevel governance in the pursuit of enhanced transparency and accountability.

The Balkan Focus policy brief series, published in cooperation with Centro Studi di Politica Internazionale (CeSPI) and Karl Renner Institut, is realised in synergy with the Friends of the Western Balkans (FoWB) project. It provides the FoWB network with background analyses on current political developments in the Western Balkan countries, as well as on the debate and process of European enlargement. The policy briefs also factor in the outcome of the debate held by the FoWB members.