EU4Green: Kick-off for Western Balkans project
On 17 June, the Umweltbundesamt, the Environment Agency Austria, officially launches the EU4Green project with a hybrid event in Montenegro. The aim is to support the Western Balkan countries in implementing the Green Agenda, the EU's regional strategic roadmap against the climate crisis, and to initiate the corresponding reforms.
Where do the Western Balkan countries stand in implementing the Green Agenda? What challenges and opportunities does this strategy hold for the economy and society? And how can EU4Green help pave the way for a modern, climate-neutral and resource-efficient economy? These and other questions will be addressed by high-ranking representatives and stakeholders from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Kosovo* and Serbia as well as experts from the European Union and the Environment Agency Austria at the EU4Green kick-off event on 17 June in Budva, Montenegro and online.
The event serves to discuss previous experiences from multi-year, transnational EU programs for the implementation of the Green Agenda and to use them for the new project. A workshop on the previous day will focus on prerequisites and success factors for the national and regional implementation of the Green Agenda in the Western Balkans. Participants will also explore synergies between EU4Green and regional cooperation initiatives such as the Regional Cooperation Council.
EU4Green: Ways out of the climate crisis
By 2025, experts from the Environment Agency Austria are supporting the Western Balkan countries on behalf of the European Commission in addressing the climate crisis and advancing the EU accession process. The basis is the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. It creates the conditions for reducing pollutants in the environment, preserving biodiversity, promoting circular economy and making agriculture more sustainable. The EU4Green project team is developing concrete plans for its implementation together with the authorities in the partner countries and national representatives from industry and civil society. In addition, monitoring and reporting are being expanded to protect people and the environment. The financial resources for the new project come from the European Commission. On the national level, it is co-financed by ADA (Austrian Development Agency).
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and it is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
For information on the project, please contact: eu4green@umweltbundesamt.at
