Sustainable transition: Four local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina are soon to get their transition plans

As part of the initial activities of the BiH SuTra programme, at the end of 2023, the municipalities of Banovići, Breza, and Ugljevik, along with the city of Živinice, defined Vision 2050, aligned with the EU Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. These visions guided the creation of the first draft of transition plans, outlining goals, measures, and activities across five development pathways for the short-, medium-, and long-term. Notably, these plans integrate gender equality, social equality, and poverty considerations as essential aspects of a just transition.

In the first round of consultation meetings held in April, proposed measures and activities were presented to stakeholders from various sectors in the four coal regions. Subsequently, the second round of meetings that took place in June across the local self-government units, was focusing on detailed presentations of short-term activities planned for 2025-2027. Representatives from each pilot area were invited to provide feedback on these activities by July 1, 2024, which will contribute to finalizing the transition plans by mid-July 2024.

June events provided an overview of current developments in each pathway of decarbonization, circular economy, pollution reduction, sustainable agriculture, and nature protection and biodiversity. Experts highlighted short-term activities included in the Operational Plan for sustainable transition during 2025-2027.

"The second round of consultations with stakeholders in local self-government units gave us certain guidelines and comments on how activities should be defined and shaped, and what would be feasible in the short-term and prioritized in certain local self-government units. What we noticed during the events is that other development pathways of sustainable transition, in addition to the current issues of energy and decarbonization, attract a lot of attention in local communities. It is important to also deal with nature protection and biodiversity, agriculture, and other areas," said Saša Solujić, BiH SuTra Programme Manager.

Final transition plans will also include cost estimates for implementing proposed measures across the five development pathways. Based on this, Banovići, Breza, Ugljevik, and Živinice will prioritize measures according to available resources. The BiH SuTra programme, implemented by the Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI) and supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), will assist in implementing two priority non-infrastructural measures per unit, following the adoption of operational three-year plans, in compliance with legal regulations.

BiH SuTra aims to foster a more sustainable society and enhance environmental and living conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina's coal regions, setting a course for long-term, medium-term, and short-term goals through participative and comprehensive planning processes.