EU4Green: Entering the next phase
On Monday 8th May 2023 the Project Steering Committee met online, as EU4Green enters a new stage and heads towards implementation of activities in the six Western Balkan economies.
Launched in 2022 EU4Green, an EU project implemented by Environment Agency Austria, financed by the European Commission, aligns with the ambitious goals of the European Green Deal, adopted by the European Commission in December 2019, which envisions a resource-efficient and carbon-neutral Europe by 2050. By bolstering the Green Agenda's governance in the region, the project seeks to support the Western Balkans in transitioning to a more sustainable and climate-resilient future, benefiting both local and European markets.
EU4Green has just opened the offices in three Western Balkan countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. By doing so, EU4Green aims to enable easier regional cooperation, contact and exchange regarding environment and climate issues, while offering knowledge and technical assistance.
Through this initiative, EU4Green will reinforce cooperation between the Western Balkans and the European Union, as well as other stakeholders.
EU4Green creates an important impetus for making the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans effective and visible. The Green Agenda will support both, the objective of a sustainable and fair transition of the continent and the EU accession process of the Western Balkan economies.
The Green Agenda for the Western Balkans mirrors the EU Green Deal and is based on five major pillars: decarbonisation, depollution, biodiversity, circular economy and sustainable agriculture and food production.
“EU4Green creates an important impetus for making the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans effective and visible. The Green Agenda will support both, the objective of a sustainable and fair transition of the continent and the EU accession process of the Western Balkan economies," said Georg Rebernig, CEO of the Environment Agency Austria and project director of EU4Green. "The project will involve decision-makers and stakeholders in the process to ensure ownership and strengthen acceptance. Making EU4Green as participative as possible will contribute to building synergies, encouraging new ideas, and improving the quality of decision making.”
EU4Green in a nutshell
By 2025, the Environment Agency Austria is supporting the Western Balkan countries on behalf of the European Commission in addressing environmental challenges 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 project come from the European Commission, co-financing from Austrian Development Agency.
