The Western Balkans, like the wider global community, currently faces the dual imperatives of ensuring inclusive economic growth whilst addressing the climate emergency and need for a sustainable transition of society. Increasingly the intertwined nature of these two goals is clear. Recent crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and European energy crisis have exemplified that green economic solutions are not only a sustainability imperative but also the most promising path to building inclusive and prosperous economies. In October, 2021, Balkan leaders endorsed the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Sofia Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, 2021-2030 (GAWB Action Plan). This plan is an exciting step towards achieving the ambitions laid out in the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans; to build a sustainable economy in line with the European Green Deal. As such, the ambitious action plan focuses on the main goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 through 58 actions and 7 thematically focused roadmaps for implementation.
In order to ensure the implementation of the GAWB Action Pan is timely, accountable and participative, it further specified specific indicators to be assessed and monitored in regular cycles. Following a year since the Action Plan’s adoption, the Regional Cooperation Council organized the process of implementing the first monitoring and assessment period on the plan’s progress. CENER 21 was honoured to be included in this process, supporting the establishment of a monitoring system and assessment of the GAWB Action plan progress from October, 2022 until February, 2023.
Given it was the first round of monitoring for the GAWB Action Plan, the first task at hand involved establishing a monitoring and reporting system to track progress. This involved creation of a detailed methodology to allow for quantitative and qualitative monitoring of the Action Plan and its specified indications. Mapping of the availability and quality of data available in Western Balkan economies was further undertaken. From here, a baseline analysis was conducted, tracking relevant indicators from 2016 onward to enable comparison and see the impacts of the GAWB Action Plan on the state of affairs.
With the system and methodology for assessment set up, the second key task was to analyze the implementation of the plan to date. This involved liaising with regional coordinators for the Action Plan and focal points from each economy, as well as coordinating and working in cooperation with various European partner agencies (such as the IUCN and European Environment Agency) to facilitate data collection. This data was then used to provide an analysis of the progress made across the 7 action plan roadmaps; Climate Action, Energy, Sustainable Transport, Circular Economy, Depollution, Sustainable Agriculture, and Protection of Nature and Biodiversity. The evaluation of implementation further considered the degree to which the Action Plan and its implementation managed to include the participation of diverse interest groups including youth, CSOs and the business community. The results of this analysis were compiled in the report: Green Agenda Report on Implementation 2022.