More than 200 civil society organisations from across the Western Balkans have joined the newly established informal Coordination Group on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, which will serve as a platform for information exchange, coordination of positions, and structured dialogue with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).

The initiative was launched after the RCC, the body responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Action Plan for the Sofia Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, expressed its interest in establishing a more regular and transparent dialogue with civil society organisations. In response, the Belgrade Open School, the CEE Bankwatch Network, and CAN Europe worked together to develop a cooperation model that would enable more systematic involvement of civil society organisations in monitoring and implementing the Green Agenda.

The strong interest shown by organisations across the region has confirmed the need for such a cooperation mechanism. More than 200 organisations have signed up to follow developments related to the Green Agenda and participate in information sharing and joint advocacy activities.

In addition to the broader network, a Core Coordination Group has been established to guide the network's work during its first year and represent the common positions of participating organisations in communication with the RCC. The Coordination Group includes organisations from all Western Balkan economies, as well as regional European networks active in the fields of climate action and environmental protection.

The Coordination Group consists of representatives of EPER Center and Active Mobility Albania from Albania; Rilindja Gjelber and Youth Ecological and Security Zone – EcoZ from Kosovo*; Belgrade Open School and the Association for Ecology and Environmental Protection GEA from Serbia; Rural Coalition and RESET HUB Debar from North Macedonia; Resource Environmental Center Bosnia and Herzegovina (REC BiH) from Bosnia and Herzegovina; Environment Programme (EnvPro) and Green Home from Montenegro; as well as the regional networks Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe) and CEE Bankwatch Network.

This group brings together a wide range of knowledge, experience, and perspectives from across the Western Balkans, as well as organisations from the European Union that actively contribute to climate action and environmental protection.

If your organisation would like to join this initiative or if you have proposals for topics and activities the network should address, please get in touch with any of the Core Group members.

About the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans

The Sofia Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, adopted in 2020, represents a political commitment by the economies of the region to implement the objectives of the European Green Deal. The Green Agenda is structured around five key pillars: climate action and energy transition, circular economy, pollution reduction, sustainable food systems and rural development, and biodiversity protection.

Following five years of limited progress in implementing certain measures, a revised Action Plan containing 41 measures to accelerate the implementation of the Green Agenda was adopted in 2025. Although some recommendations put forward by civil society organisations were incorporated into the revised document, the consultation process did not ensure sufficiently broad and continuous participation of interested organisations. The establishment of the Coordination Group represents an important step towards improving transparency and strengthening civil society participation in regional decision-making processes.

The initiative was launched as part of the “Green Agenda Navigator” project, co-funded by the European Union. The project is implemented by the Belgrade Open School in cooperation with regional partners: the Aarhus Centre in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eco-Team from Montenegro, Eco-Z from Kosovo*, the Environmental Research and Information Centre Eko-svest from North Macedonia, Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA), and the CEE Bankwatch Network.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.