Municipality of Banovići in the sunset. Photo: Courtesy by the municipality of Banovići.
Municipality of Banovići in the sunset. Photo: Courtesy by the municipality of Banovići.
The Stockholm Environment Institute, SEI, the implementer of the BiH SuTra programme, just hosted a large internal conference in its headquarters, Stockholm. Colleagues from around the world gathered both physically and virtually to share knowledge and learning for 5 days. BiH SuTra representatives engaged in a dynamic panel discussion delving into the challenges and opportunities posed by the European Green Deal and climate policy to the Eastern Partnership (EP) countries and to Western Balkans (WB). Below follows some reflections.
European Union has evolved since the aftermath of World War 2 – from being the European Coal and Steal Community to now being a quite different organization, carrying out advanced deliberations and negotiations on economic, social, foreign and environmental policies, just to name some areas. Historically, the EU has gone through several rounds of enlargement, i.e new countries joining the union, from the first one in 1973 and the last round in 2013. Looking into the future of enlargement, the care for the environment plays a crucial role. Saša Solujić, BiH SuTra programme manager explained in the panel that “The European Accession shouldn’t only represent an end goal for the candidate countries, it should also be seen and utilized as a very important tool for them to regulate many important questions, including the issues of environment and sustainability”.
However, the process to obtain EU membership is very long. Countries waiting in the process are experiencing some “EU fatigue” and in some WB countries it is seen as the “road to nowhere”. The accession is transparent and open, nevertheless, many other political and geopolitical interests have a strong influence and cause implications in the process.
During the last five years EU has been pushing the EU Green Deal, but Ivo Krustok, senior climate and energy expert at SEI Tallinn, clarifies that even before the Green Deal, the changes countries had to make in their laws in the environmental acquis (i.e the EUs environmental binding legislation) was a big undertaking. ”When Estonia joined the EU a long time ago, and considering that the acquis was much simpler, it was a lenghty and complicated process”, he said. So, for countries in the WB or in the EP, it will be more difficult to enter the EU in a fast way. “The European legislation, after the Green Deal, just got worse, but not worse in a bad way, worse in a good way – rules are better from an environmental perspective, but more complicated from a bureaucracy perspective, and making the changes proves to be difficult even for the Member States.”
However daunting the process might seem, the panelists agreed on that it is exceptionally critical to understand that the quality of life will increase drastically with the improvements that will be made to the environment. Citizens will enjoy less exposure to air pollution, chemical pollution and have more financial independence.
Sanjin Avdić, senior programme coordinator in BiH SuTra was part of the panel and gave some perspectives from the EU candidate country Bosnia and Herzegovina. He argued that countries in the WB are rich in coal, however, there is also plenty of sun, wind, water and forest, meaning that a green transition in these countries is possible. Gabor Schneider, GUMA project manager at SEI, added that “people need to understand the contribution that climate neutrality will bring. The green transition for the Western Balkans might not mean too much for ordinary citizens now, but it will bring investments for their future economies, which will eventually improve their quality of life”.
"People need to understand the contribution that climate neutrality will bring. The green transition for the Western Balkans might not mean too much for ordinary citizens now, but it will bring investments for their future economies, which will eventually improve their quality of life"
Gabor Schneider, GUMA project manager at SEI
Moreover, the economic dimension is one of the main drivers towards EU accession and is very high on the political agenda of the Western Balkans leaders. Avdić explained; “the main benefits of EU accession for the WB will be employment and stability, and the fact that the EU is the main economic partner of BiH builds up the most important argument for BiH to join the EU family.”
Gender issues in the green transition
Sustainable transitions carry many societal and gendered risks and challenges. Laura Del Duca, expert in gender equality, social equity and poverty in BiH SuTra highlighted that some of these risks and challenges “are well documented such as the influence of coal transition on population of male workers. Others are not so much present, such as mental health deterioration, substance abuse and increase of the incidence of violence”. The EU Green Deal could improve when it comes to considering how different groups are affected, and this is especially problematic in countries with high rates of gender inequality. Del Duca highlighted that “there is a need for a systematic approach in assessing how different groups are affected and in managing these risks and challenges.”
"There is a need for a systematic approach in assessing how different groups are affected and in managing these risks and challenges."
Laura Del Duca, expert in gender equality, social equity and poverty in BiH SuTra
In the BiH SuTra programme the aim is to have such a systematic approach, and support BiH in these questions.
Read more about BiH SuTra’s work on gender, social equity and poverty here.
Shared values important
European integration isn’t just about economic development, it is much more than that. The EU is founded on six core values; respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and human rights. Lauri Tammiste, centre director for SEI Tallinn, told the story of Estonia becoming a member back in 2004: “during Estonia’s path towards EU accession, there was an enormous boost for building up capacities, improving governance and finance, with increased transparency, and only later, when we joined, we realized that it was actually great for the economy as well. But it wasn’t initially about the economy, it was about sharing the same values in a united Europe and never again being alone. The EU is about these shared values, and the countries joining the EU must show real reasons and commitment why they want to join.”
What is the SEI Science Forum?
The Science Forum is an internal knowledge-sharing and learning event showcasing SEI's diverse work, including its thematic and geographical focus, science-policy-practice partnerships and engagements, and innovative approaches and tools used and/or developed by colleagues across all SEI centres.
What is SEI?
SEI is an international non-profit research and policy organization that tackles environment and development challenges. SEI has its headquarters in Stockholm (Sweden) and centres in Bangkok (Thailand), Boston, Davis, and Seattle (US), Oxford and York (UK), Tallinn (Estonia), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bogota (Colombia).
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